


A Howl Beneath The City

by AppleCiderr



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Attempted Kidnapping, Author Is Sleep Deprived, BAMF Orihara Izaya, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Established Relationship, Eventual Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Fantasy, Found Family, Gangs, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt Orihara Izaya, Izaya Being Izaya (Durarara!!), Izaya Turns Into A Werewolf, Kidnapping, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Orihara Izaya Needs a Hug, Orihara Izaya-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Personal Growth, Protective Heiwajima Shizuo, Romance, Secret Identity, Secrets, Shizaya - Freeform, Tranquilizers, Werewolf Bites, Werewolf Culture, Werewolf Izaya, Werewolf Reveal, Werewolf Turning, Werewolves, Wolf Instincts, Wolf Pack, Yakuza, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 70,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleCiderr/pseuds/AppleCiderr
Summary: Izaya thought it was just a dog bite. But, in Ikebukuro, things are never as they seem. All it takes is a full moon for his life to be turned upside down.
Relationships: Heiwajima Shizuo/Orihara Izaya, Kishitani Shinra/Celty Sturluson
Comments: 57
Kudos: 180





	1. Chapter 1

Even when he was on a job, Izaya couldn’t help but watch as his lovely humans went about their day.

In the dark of the night, Izaya observed the many workers as they rubbed their sore shoulders and complained about their daily struggles. He couldn’t stop the small chuckle that rose up in his chest.

_ Ah, my silly humans. Day after day you bemoan the same things without doing anything to change them. Constantly eating the cheese delicately placed in the mousetrap that is mundanity.  _

The informant broker remained where he was, hidden in the shadows of an alleyway as many large groups of people passed by his hiding spot on their way home. Only when the groups started to think in their size did he exit the small alley and make his way towards the bay.

His red eyes scanned the several boats and storage units scattered around him. _ My information said they would be here somewhere… _ He thought as he moved closer, keeping his movements as silent as possible.

To his shame, Izaya didn’t know exactly what he was looking for. Shiki had told him that there were suspicious groups loitering around the bay that he didn’t recognize. He suspected that they wanted to take over the area, which would be bad for Awakusu-kai’s business.

With not much to go on, and little information from his sources, Izaya decided the best course of action would be to scout the area himself. He spent plenty of time around Awakusu-kai members, he knew how they acted when they were in their territory, so it would be easy to discern if a rival gang was secretly hiding in the area.

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and made sure his hand held onto his switchblade as he walked. For a long while, he wandered without any notice of something that one in his profession would call ‘out of the ordinary’.

As more of the warehouse lights began to shut off, he didn’t have any luck. Other than the occasional grumpy worker, the bay seemed almost completely abandoned. He peeked into warehouses, listened against storage units, and walked as close to the ships as he possibly could without looking suspicious.

After over an hour passed, Izaya knew that he had stayed too long. _If someone is here, they know I’m searching for them. I’ll have to come back tomorrow._ _Perhaps it would be more beneficial if I hack into the security cameras. But they are placed in such obvious spots, I doubt anyone would be dumb enough to be caught on them…_

He started to walk back towards the city as he pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts until he found Shiki’s number, and went to press the call button. But just before his thumb grazed against the green button, the feeling that something was wrong.

His phone was quickly replaced in his hand with his switchblade. He stopped and looked around him, but he saw nothing. Izaya was never the type to doubt his instincts, not after many close calls at dodging Shizuo’s thrown projectiles. It was time to leave.

The informant broker turned and hurried towards the city. At the same time, there was the sound of metal scraping against the ground, and furious growl that echoed across the entire bay.

Expecting an attack, Izaya pulled out his switchblade and turned towards the noise. But instead of a gang member or Shizu-chan, he saw a giant dog charging straight towards him. He was caught off guard, which gave the creature enough time to spring towards him. Izaya barely had enough time to bring his arm up before those sharp teeth sunk into his flesh.

The creature’s weight and the sudden burst of pain sent them to the ground as Izaya let out a screech of pain. The animal on top of him growled again and bit down harder as it started to shake its head furiously. He could feel his skin tear as the blood splattered on both of them.

Izaya gritted his teeth and forced himself to think through the pain. Using his free hand, he grabbed one of his hidden knives and quickly sliced it across the dog’s face. With a yelp of pain the dog’s grip finally broke. It stumbled backwards, trying to shake the blood out of its vision.

_ Go! Go now! _ Izaya thought as he scrambled to his feet. With a burst of speed, Izaya jumped on top of the nearby garbage container and used that as momentum to leap up and catch the edge of the roof.

A shock of pain up his arm stopped him from running any further. He chased onto the hard roof with a groan. He squeezed the wound with his hand and forced himself to ignore the wet squish of his own blood.

Below him, Izaya could hear the large dog barking furiously. It knew exactly where he was, but Izaya couldn’t seem to move. It felt like fire was burning in his veins, and that was all he could focus on.

As the burning pain continued, Izaya heard the sound of voices that slowly became louder. If he had known it would only be Awakusu-kai, he would have shown himself. But with Shiki’s request still fresh on his mind, Izaya stayed quiet.

“Look, look! There she is!” A shaky voice declared.”Quickly! Grab her!”

He heard a second, deeper voice scoff. “Be quiet, idiot! You’re the one that let her get out in the first place! If she got away, we’d be dead!”

“I didn’t know she could break out of the cage! Why the hell do we use those if they can get out! It’s stupid!” The shaky man demanded.

The deeper voice returned, with a sarcastic growl. “Oh gee, I wonder why. Why don’t you ask the boss that? I’m sure he’d love to hear it.”

The first man quickly shut up. The barking continued for a few more seconds before there was a whoosh of air, and a yelp of pain. Seconds later, with a thump, Tokyo Bay was silent once more.

Izaya couldn’t help but be curious. He scooted closer to the edge and poked his head over the slightest bit. Below, he could see a muscular man dragging the dog by the chain around its neck. On the dog’s side was a small dart, likely a tranquilizer. He was followed by the scrawny man, who looked around nervously.

From his hiding spot, Izaya watched as they disappeared into the darkness. He didn’t know who they were, but it definitely wasn’t Awakusu-kai _. I’ll have to let Shiki know he was right about the- _ Another sudden twinge of pain. _ Ugh… But first, I need to find someone who can fix this stupid dog bite. _

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

It took Izaya much longer than he would have liked to get home from his trip to Tokyo Bay. With Shinra a half hour away, he had to resort to one of the underground doctors closer to him. Then, after a long and detailed call with Shiki, he was finally able to head home. 

His mind was clouded by the painkillers, and even with the drugs in his system he still felt the occasional stab of pain. It had been a long, exhausting day. Without even bothering to change, Izaya flopped onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. 

When he finally woke up, it was one in the afternoon. Much later than he usually woke up, but after yesterday's events he wasn't surprised. His body definitely needed the extra rest. 

Blearily, Izaya made his way to the restroom to get ready for the day.  _ First order of business, change these itchy bandages!  _ He picked at the edge of his forearm bandages until they started to unravel.  _ How am I supposed to play with Shizu-chan if my arm is messed up? That won't do! _

As he pulled away the last of the bandages, Izaya froze in shock. Before he had gone to sleep, his arm had been a glarly mess of torn flesh and oozing blood around the deep bite wound. But as he looked down at where the bite had been, the only thing left was a scar. 

It was a nasty looking scar, with a large chunk of his skin now scarred over, but the place where the bite first occurred was still very visible. 

"What…?" Izaya whispered in disbelief. He tentatively pressed his fingers against the scar. It didn't hurt at all, somehow the wound had completely healed overnight. 

He held his arm out and turned it around, using his fingers to nudge the scarred over skin. It seemed like he wasn't imagining it, the grizzly wound had magically fixed itself. 

"Ugh, why did it have to become a scar?" Izaya muttered in distaste as he continued to poke the skin. Eventually he stopped, and shrugged. "Well, I suppose having a scar is better than dying of an infection or blood loss." 

A suddenly healed injury wasn't even close to the weirdest thing Izaya had seen, which enabled him to shrug it off easier than he probably should have. He went on with his routine, and made sure that his long sleeves covered up the car completely. The last thing he needed was someone to notice it and get nosy.

He took the stairs two at a time, humming a cheerful tune as he tried to push aside the incident. Ignoring the irritated look Namie sent his way, the raven plopped into his computer chair and slid up to his several different computers. He tapped in his passwords, still humming away.

“Your singing is even worse than your personality,” Namie calmly stated as she shuffled through her papers. 

Izaya let out a cheerful laugh. “You should be grateful, Namie-san! Not everyone is lucky enough to hear the great Orihara Izaya hum, let along sing! Maybe one day you will too!”

Namie’s face remained perfectly static as she turned to glance at him. “If it weren’t for your paychecks, I would have sliced your vocal chords a long time ago.”

With another laugh, Izaya returned to his work. The silence reigned over them, both too engrossed in their work: Namie with her filing, and Izaya with his hacking. Shiki had ordered him to search the cameras on Tokyo Bay and see what he could find. He ordered Izaya to stay away from the bay until they had gotten more information.

“Aww! Is Shiki-san worried about his favorite informant broker?” Izaya had teasingly asked the Awakusu-Kai boss.

Shiki had rolled his eyes, and grumbled something about ‘paying Izaya too much’ and how ‘he couldn’t get information if Izaya was dead’ before sending the young man away with the promise of wired payment.

Izaya’s fingers clicked on the keys as he worked his way into the bay’s camera system. He found himself running into difficulties more than he usually would. Izaya had hacked plenty of systems from several different locations, why was this one giving him so much trouble?

He thought back to the two men he had spied on the day before. The scrawny man had obviously been on edge, and the muscular man mentioned a boss.  _ Hmm… It seems like someone really wants to hide something! _

When he finally got through, he focused completely on finding any footage that would help Shiki in his attempts to remove them. To Izaya’s dismay, he hit a brick wall quicker than he would have expected.

The only footage on the cameras was video from the current day. Any other footage, even from the cameras at the very front of the bay, was gone. With a frown of frustration, Izaya decided to try and search for any other security cameras that might have caught something in the area.

In such a focused state, Izaya barely noticed that Namie shoved a plate of breakfast in front of him. He multitasked, typing with one hand and eating with another. He kept up this routine until there was a sudden stab of pain from his lip. He stopped his typing with a wince, and brought his fingers up to touch where the feeling came from.

When he pulled his hand back, there was a smudge of blood on his finger. “Huh?” He pushed his chair away and moved back towards the bathroom, ignoring Namie’s inquisitive gaze as he went.

In the mirror, Izaya noticed a small cut on his lip.  _ Did I bite my lip that hard? _ He wondered, opening his mouth the slightest bit. He noticed right away that there was something different.

His canines were longer, and much sharper. When he pressed his finger against one, he felt the stinging pain of the small wound. When he looked down at his finger, he saw the small drop of blood. 

_ Why is this happening to me?! _ He wanted to snap, barely managing to restrain himself. His hand slowly moved down, scratching at the scar that was hidden underneath his clothing.  _ Could it because of… That? _

Izaya quickly dismissed such an idea.  _ No, no way. _ I’m overthinking things. He told himself.  _ It’s probably the painkillers that the underground doctor gave me, I knew I should have just gone straight to Shinra… I guess I’ll just have to hope they wear off soon. _

Satisfied with his explanation, Izaya cleaned the blood away and went back downstairs. He continued his work for the rest of the day without issue. He managed to ignore the foreign feeling of the sharp canines by telling himself that everything would be fine, nothing was wrong.

It would go away eventually.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

For six, long days, Izaya kept telling himself those same words. But no matter how much he repeated them, nothing happened. In fact, things only seemed to get more confusing. 

The day after Izaya’s canines had become sharper, he woke up to a painful headache. Every noise felt amplified, and it felt like he could hear everything happening around him. Even from upstairs, he could hear when Namie shifted even the slightest bit. It was so disorienting that he couldn’t get out of bed all day.

The day after that, his headache was easier to manage, but something else had taken its place. It was as if his nose was suddenly much sharper. He could tell where Namie had come from and what ingredients she had brought to make them both dinner before she even pulled them out of her bag.

He considered going to see Shinra after his meeting with Shiki, but being outside was almost torture. There were so many sounds, it brought his headache back almost right away. So, he elected to stay home and get some work done.

On the sixth day after his escapade to Tokyo Bay, Shiki arrived at his apartment to discuss matters. Izaya quickly gave Namie a list of completely random and tedious errands to get her out of the apartment. (Shiki knew who she was, and obviously didn’t trust her to hear what they talked about.)

He explained his lack of information to the man, including the security cameras. As he spoke, Shiki’s expression got much more annoyed.

“Why didn’t you report this to me sooner?” He demanded.

“I wanted to triple check, Shiki-san. Every day after that I would check again, to see if I was wrong in suspecting foul-play. But I wasn’t. Everyday the footage from the day before was gone.” Izaya smoothly answered. “Someone is definitely hiding something.”

Shiki’s frown deepened, which Izaya didn’t think was possible. “Agreed. But that still doesn’t answer how we get around this issue. I’ve sent men to the bay every day, but none of them saw anything out of the ordinary. No rival gangs, no suspicious characters, and no dogs.”

Izaya’s carefully constructed facade almost broke at the mention of the dog, a reminder of all the strange and confusing things that had been occurring since he got that damn bite. He pushed the thought of the dog away, he was in the middle of work.

“I could send someone to watch at night, but they’re already slipping around the usual guards. They’ll probably notice a change…” Shiki thought aloud before taking a long drag of his cigarette.

Izaya’s suddenly sensitive nose scrunched up in distaste from the smell, but he didn’t dare ask Shiki to put it out. Instead, he forced himself to think about the sit. “Well… I know I can hack them. They may be taking many precautions, but it might be possibly for me to set up a system that sends any removed footage to a server that only I can access.” 

Shaking the ash of his cigarette into the ashtray, Shiki turned his hard gaze up to Izaya. ”How confident are you that such a system would work?”

Izaya let his normal sly grin appear on his face. “I’m one of the best, Shiki-san! I have the utmost confidence. After all, they may be using a system like that already!”

“You’re right…” Shiki dropped the now unlit cigarette into the ashtray. "It would make sense. If they're as cautious as they seem, they wouldn't just delete the footage."

The informant broker gave a firm nod. "Exactly. If I can set up my own server connected to the cameras, I can save the footage too. Who knows, I might be able to find the older footage too." 

His boss hummed thoughtfully. He was quiet for a long while, considering what Izaya had explained. 

The man slowly got to his feet and smoothed out any wrinkles in his suit. "Your idea could work. Put any other jobs I've given you aside, I want your full attention on this starting right now."

"Sir, yes sir!" Izaya cheerfully said with a mock salute. "I'll have to buy a few things beforehand, but after that we'll be in business!" 

Shiki huffed again, motioning to his guards as he turned to leave. "I'll wire your payment later. Let me know how much what you ordered costs, I'll compensate you. Have a good evening, Izaya."

"You as well, Shiki-san," Izaya politely called back as the gang leader and his silent companions departed. The sound of the security lock being the cue for Izaya to finally relax after hours of work. 

He left the expensive couch and stood in front of the windows. He let out a happy sigh at the city below him. He always loved the view from his apartment, but it looked even more beautiful as the sky started to darken and the bright full moon began to rise. 

Many of his lovely humans would be heading home, allowing the strange and exciting night life to roam free. Oh, how he missed seeing it after being cooped up for almost a whole week.

"I'll order the stuff I need, and then maybe I can go out for a walk! I've missed walking amongst my humans!" Izaya smiled at the idea, encouraged once again.

But he never made it to his computers. Just as he turned around, his body was suddenly hit with an explosion of pain. His vision swirled and he stumbled forward, crashing against the desk. 

He heard the sound of something shattering against the ground as he swayed away from his workspace. He didn't get far before his legs gave out from underneath him, which sent him to the cold floor with a loud cry.

The throbbing pain was quickly replaced by something even worse. To Izaya, it felt like molten lava was burning all of his veins. His body curled in on itself as he tried desperately to find a way to make the burning stop. 

He couldn't move his limbs, he couldn't even scream as the black spots covered his vision. He felt the burning feeling in his muscles until his body finally gave out and fell into blissful unconsciousness. 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

When awareness finally returned to Izaya, he felt like he had just woken up with a hangover. He felt nauseous, his headache worse than ever before. But the burning feeling had finally ceased. 

He groaned as he forced his eyes open. He was still on the floor, with a computer monitor and shattered glass only a few feet away. 

_ What the hell just happened?  _ He wondered.  _ It doesn't make sense… other than the headache I felt fine. Something is seriously wrong. I need to go to Shinra, now.  _

Izaya put his hands in front of him to stand up, but the sight below him made him freeze.  _ Are those… paws?!  _

There was no mistaking it, he could see what looked like black furred paws that seemed to belong to a dog. He tried to use his own hand to push them away, disgusted by the thought of even being near a dog… But the paws mimicked his own movements.

Izaya’s heart skipped a beat as he tried again, but they copied him again.  _ What?! _ With a yelp, the informant broker stumbled backwards to try and get away. The black furred paws followed him no matter how hard he tried.  _ No, no… no way, no way! _

His heart beat against his chest, gasping for air as his eyes turned to look in the window. His reflection gazed back at him, but instead of a pale skinned informant broker, Izaya saw a large, black dog.  _ No, no that's not a dog… That's a wolf… _

_ And that wolf… Is me?! _


	2. Chapter 2

_ This can’t be happening! _

_ This can’t be happening!! _

  
  


Izaya’s red eyes stared at his reflection in disbelief. The wolf’s red eyes stared back at him, the sides heaving every time Izaya himself inhaled or exhaled. He could feel his heart pound against his chest while his mind reeled at what had just happened.

He took a step backwards and watched as those black paws mimicked his movements exactly. He turned to look behind him, and was met with the sight of his now lupine body. A loud whine rose up in his throat.  _ A wolf… I’m a wolf!! But why? How?! What could have… _

The Informant gasped in a sudden realization.  _ The bite!  _ That was what must have changed him, he was sure of it. The sharp canines, the headaches, the suddenly extremely good sense of smell and sound; all those started to appear the day after he got bitten. 

As that registered, Izaya's mind dwelled on what all of it could mean.  _ A bite, turning into a wolf… does that make me a… a werewolf? _ He looked at his reflection again.  _ But how could that be? Where could that wolf that bit me have come from?! Wolves are extinct in Japan! _

It didn't make sense, none of it did. Izaya could feel his heart beat faster as panic clutched him once more.  _ What do I do?! How can I fix this? How do I turn back?! How- _

Before he could completely lose himself to his worried thoughts, his sensitive ears locked onto the sound of footsteps. His large black ears angled themselves as he heard the familiar clicking of his security lock. 

_ Namie! _

Izaya finally turned away from his reflection and attempted to run to the door, but having four legs was more difficult than two. As he tried to turn around, he got his legs confused and crashed to the ground with his front and back leg tangled. 

He let out a small growl and shook them free. It took him three tries to get back to his feet, the smooth, black tile flooring proved to be slippery when you had claws. 

By the time he finally stumbled over to the front door, Namie was already inside with the bag of groceries held in her arm. She looked exhausted and stressed, but Izaya barely noticed it, he was more focused on receiving her help.

"Namie!" He called out to the woman.

His voice made Namie jump and spin around, the bag she had been holding dropped onto the ground. When her wide-eyed gaze landed on Izaya, she visibly relaxed. “Oh, it’s just a dog.” She glanced around in confusion. “How did you get in here?”

“What?!” Izaya’s red eyes widened. “Namie, what are you talking about! It’s me, Izaya! Your boss! I need you to stop messing around and help me!”

Namie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Listen, I don’t know how the hell you got in here but your barking is giving me a headache. I don’t think Izaya would like you being in here either, and I actually prefer to get paid. You have to go.” She turned around, opened the metal door, and glanced back at him expectantly.

Izaya stared back at her in disbelief and frustration. “No! Namie I’m not leaving, can’t you see that it’s me?!”

His secretary didn’t react at all beyond her face twitching, as though hearing him talk brought her physical pain.

The Informant recalled her words about barking.  _ Ugh, it’s no use. She doesn’t understand me! _ He thought quickly, and an idea popped in his mind.  _ I’ll show her it’s me! If I go to my desk I can type out a- _

A surprised yelp involuntarily escaped his mouth as his scruff was gripped in a harsh grip. He stumbled over his own legs as he was dragged to the open door and unceremoniously thrown out of the door. He crashed into the ground with a pained grunt.

“I said get out!” Namie snapped in a much harsher voice. She slammed the door shut behind her. 

Izaya scrambled back to his feet with an angry growl. “Namie! Open the door this instant!” He lifted a paw to scratch at the door, but got no response. “Namie!!” He snapped one last time, but still there was silence. 

The informant turned wolf growled again and stomped his paw back on the ground. He knew it was hopeless to try and outlast Namie, it wouldn’t last very long. His apartment complex had a strict ‘no animals’ policy. His barking would get him kicked out before he even made a dent in Namie’s resolve. She was the most stubborn woman he had the misfortune of knowing, there was no way she would open the door before security threw him out.

Knowing a lost cause when he saw one, Izaya’s mind drifted to his next possible target for aid.  _ Shinra! He’s been obsessed with Celty and her supernatural power for years. If anyone is going to know how to fix this, it’s him _ ! He turned and began to stumble down the hall.  _ And if he can't, I can at least hide there until we find a way.  _

Perhaps Izaya was taking advantage of their friendship, but he didn't particularly care. He put himself and his problems first, as usual. Shinra wouldn't turn him away, he never did. 

Izaya made his way to the elevator and tried to reach the button, but his hind legs nearly gave out when he tried. With a frustrated sigh, he resigned himself to taking the stairs.

For the first time in his life, Izaya cursed himself for having an apartment with a beautiful view. Walking down the stairs on four legs took a dreadfully long time, and he tripped several times.

When he finally got into the lobby, he broke into a sprint towards the door. He heard the receptionist cry out in surprise, but ignored her in favor of escaping through the opening automatic doors. 

As soon as he passed the threshold into the open city, his senses exploded with stimulation. The overwhelming smells, the sounds invading his ears, and the bright lights of the city all left him confused and dizzy. 

He skidded to a halt, only for something to roughly hit his side. He opened his red eyes to try and see what it was, but his eyes could barely make out even his own paws. When he tried to back away from what had hit him, he was hit by something similar.

“Go away!” Someone yelled. Their voice was like hot needles that stabbed his eardrums, a burst of pain added to the constant agony from the sounds of the city around him.

Izaya’s head throbbed as he furiously shook his head.  _ Shinra! Shinra! Find Shinra! Find him!!  _ He told himself. 

With a growl, the informant forced his eyes open and faced the blurry sights. He stumbled forward for several seconds, but made no distance due to the fact the world was still spinning around him.

He could barely keep himself on his paws when he was constantly hitting the many passersby on the sidewalks. In a desperate hope to get anywhere closer to his goal, Izaya tried to break into a sprint. 

Almost instantly he crashed into another leg. This person seemed to be more aggressive than the others he had hit. “Stupid dog!” They snapped, and Izaya was roughly shoved away from the angry voice.

The push sent Izaya crashing on to the rough ground with a yelp, his head hitting the ground and sending another spike of pain through his already confused mind. He forced himself back onto his feet and was instantly hit by a wave of dizziness.

He stumbled again, and nearly tripped over his own feet before he managed to come to a halt. Then, a loud honking erupted in his ears. He whipped his head around and saw two bright lights speeding towards him. A truck was speeding towards him! There was no way he could move in time, he was dead for sure!

Before the truck could hit Izaya, something else crashed into his side. He was flung out of the way and tumbled along with whatever had just saved him from what had been certain death.

When they finally stopped tumbling, Izaya was laying on his side. He took huge gasps of air, his red eyes scrunched tight in terror as he tried to tell himself he was okay, that he was safe.

Only when his heart began to calm did Izaya notice that there was someone else near him. Their panting was harsher, but not as intense as Izaya. They caught their breath much quicker, and he heard soft clicks before an angry voice reached his ear.

“Are you insane?! You could have been killed! What were you thinking running into the middle of the street like that?!” The gravelly voice snarled at him.

The informant slowly forced his eyes open, and found himself in the pleasant darkness of an alleyway. Without the harsh lights of the city, his vision finally began to clear. The blurry form in front of him slowly faded into a-

Izaya gasped.

Standing in front of him was a large wolf. Their white fur glistened in the moonlight, with muscles rippling under the pelt. Their sharp teeth were bared, and their pale grey eyes stared down at Izaya furiously, waiting for an answer.

But Izaya was too surprised to even register what the form in front of him had asked. Instead his wide red eyes scanned the creature in front of him several times before he managed to form a single though. “Y-you’re a wolf too…” He croaked.

A shock of surprise ran through the pale grey eyes, and any anger he had melted away. “Oh…” He pawed closer and lowered his snout, taking a moment to smell. “Oh, I see… This is your first transformation, isn’t it?”

Still in shock, all Izaya could manage was a fervent nod.

The wolf instantly looked sympathetic. “You must be very confused, I was too when I first turned.” He sat down next to the informant broker. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to go through this alone. We can help you.”

Izaya’s flattened ears rose in curiosity. “We?” He repeated.

The white wolf nodded. “My pack. I’ll take you there right now. They can help you.” He got back onto his paws and trotted over to Izaya, using his nose to try and nudge the black wolf up. “Plus, It’s much safer than staying on the streets.” 

With some help, Izaya managed to get back up on shaky paws. The white wolf started to walk, but stopped when he noticed that the black wolf was still struggling to keep up with him. He looked down at Izaya’s shaking legs, and once again understood.

“You’re trying to walk like a human. You need to walk like this.” He turned around and walked back and forth a few times, this allowed Izaya to observe how the hind leg left the floor slightly before the front leg on the same side and hit the floor before the front leg did. When the front leg hit the ground, the opposite back leg lifted up and the process repeated.

Now armed with a visual representation of what to do, Izaya found the courage to start walking. He took a few awkward steps before he found his rhythm, and could slowly follow the white wolf further into the alleyway.

It seemed like the white wolf knew that the sounds and lights of the city would be painful for Izaya, because he kept to the alleyways as much as he could. The few times they had to venture onto the sidewalks, he was quick to press himself against Izaya’s side so the informant would know which way to go.

After many twists and turns, the white wolf finally came to a stop by a two story building. Izaya took a deep breath as they approached, and his sensitive nose instantly caught the scent of other wolves.  _ Is this it? _

The large wolf he was following turned down the alleyway until they had reached the back of the building. “We’re here.” His companion said as he trotted up and stood in front of a door that said ‘employees only.’ He raised a paw, and scratched against the door several times in a pattern.

After a few moments of waiting, the door opened the slightest bit. The white wolf used his nose to nudge it open further, then looked back at Izaya and flicked his tail towards himself. “Follow me.” 

The two wolves walked inside the darkness of the building, and Izaya was overwhelmed by the smell of many different wolves. He blinked quickly, forcing his eyes to get used to low light in the room so he could see what was around him.

It seemed like they were in a small back room, which had piles of books and dusty boxes stacked everywhere except for one corner. Izaya noticed the beginning of a staircase, and realized it must lead to a basement.

The white wolf walked towards the open back door, and closed his jaws around a rag that was tied to the handle. He pulled and walked backwards, shutting the door with a loud click. After he tugged a few more times, he let go of the rug and turned back around.

Movement next to the opening on the floor caught Izaya’s attention, he looked up and saw a scraggly grey wolf sitting in front of the boxes stacked by the opening. He eyed Izaya with a curious gaze, and then looked back towards the white wolf.

“Shiro, you’re late. I was starting to get worried.” His voice was croaky, and sounded like that of an old man.

The white wolf, whom the gray one had called ‘Shiro’, brought up his leg to scratch at his side. “Sorry, Jinsei, I didn’t mean to worry you. But as you can see, I got a little sidetracked.” He put his leg back down, and motioned towards Izaya with his snout. “I found a pup. He’s lucky I did, too. He was about to get hit by a truck.”

The informant’s fur heated up in embarrassment as the grey wolf, Jinsei, made a noise of concern. He moved over to the Izaya’s side and scanned him with worried brown eyes. “Are you okay, young man? Any wounds?”

The confusion that had been building up in Izaya’s mind finally began to overflow. His head whipped from Jinsei to Shiro, and back again. “I don’t understand what’s happening. Who are you people? Why are you helping me?! You don’t even know who I am!”

His frantic questions did not surprise either of the two wolves in front of him. Shiro’s face remained blank, and Jinsei’s chest shook as he chuckled in amusement. 

“My name is Jinsei, I am the leader of this pack. As for your other question, I don’t need to know you to help you, pup. We werewolves stick together, no matter what.” He turned his head and motioned to the basement stairs. “Follow me.”

Izaya was tired of following people, but found his paws moving without his permission down the stairs and into the basement. It was much more comfy looking than the room he had just been in, with gentle orange lights illuminating the area. 

The floor was covered in blankets and pillows, and strewn all over the room were other werewolves relaxing or sleeping. They quickly focused on the three wolves climbing down the stairs, with many of them watching Izaya in particular.

Jinsei stopped in front of the stairs and looked back at Izaya. “This is my pack. When there’s a full moon, we gather here to transform in peace. But this place isn’t just open to  _ my _ own pack, I take in any wolf that needs a place to hide on the full moon no matter who they were; Whether they are old geezers like me, or pups like you.”

“Pups?” Izaya questioned with a tilt of his head.

Shiro sat down next to Jinsei. “Pup is our word for new werewolves, like you.” He explained.

The old gray wolf nodded in agreement. “My pack does our best to find and help Pups like you. Shiro and a few other pack members spend the beginning of the full moon patrolling the city to try and find any new werewolves and help them learn what it means to be one.”

“That’s a very kind thing to do,” Izaya observed aloud.

“I’m not forcing you to join our pack, that’s your decision. But I do request that you stay here until your first transformation is complete.” The old man explained,”That way we can help you learn everything you need to know before your next one.”

Izaya looked at Jinsei, surprised by the warm feeling in his chest. The old man’s actions were kind and selfless, and he didn’t expect anything in return.  _ Can humans really be this kind?  _ He wondered, and then huffed in amusement.  _ Although I suppose none of us in this room would be classified as human… _

He turned back to Jinsei, and nodded his head. “I’ll stay,” He agreed.  _ It’s not like I have much of a choice, anyways. _

The gray wolf’s tail wagged. “Wonderful! Then let me introduce you to the pack.” He turned towards the other wolves, who were now all watching them. “Everyone, Shiro brought back a new pup. I’d like you all to meet… Erm…” He tilted his head towards the informant. “What is your name, young man?”

“Orihara Izaya,” He answered without thinking.

Instantly, several of the wolves in the room bristled in surprise and their eyes sparkled with fear. It seemed that Izaya’s reputation preceded him, and he cursed himself for not using a fake name. 

A reddish wolf near the front of the group glared at him.“Orihara Izaya the informant broker?! No, no way! Jinsei, he can’t stay here!” She snarled angrily.

“Why would I send him away?” Jinsei asked, his voice filled with genuine confusion. 

The red wolf’s ears flattened against her head. “He’s a monster! He spends every day making people miserable and selling their information without caring about what happens to them! He works with Yakuza!” She exclaimed,”How are we supposed to trust that he won’t tell everyone about us?!”

“Now, now, we don’t  _ know _ that…” Jinsei tried to placate.

“Yes we do! That’s all he knows how to do! He ruins peoples lives! He needs to leave now!” She snarled, her teeth bared and ready for a fight.

A loud bark interrupted her angered growlings. Shiro jumped in between Izaya and the reddish wolf, his pale grey gaze boring into her yellow eyes.

“It doesn't matter who he is! He is suffering his first transformation, just as many of us have! You wouldn’t want Jinsei to throw you out because of your own mistakes, would you?!” He snarled.

The werewolves all were silent in response, their tails between their legs at the sight of an angry Shiro. Even Izaya was slightly intimidated, so he stopped himself from correcting Shiro on his use of the word ‘mistakes’ and stayed silent.

When he got no response, Shiro let out an angry snort. “Exactly! It doesn’t matter what Izaya has done, you know the rule as well as I do! Werewolves stick together, no matter what.” 

The reddish wolf’s yellow gaze flickered from Shiro to Izaya. Then, with a huff, she stomped her way back to the corner of the room, flopped down, and furiously chewed on her paw. 

The rest of the pack wolves quickly settled down, still sending nervous glances at Shiro and Izaya. 

Shiro ignored them, and turned himself around to face Izaya. The informant broker felt slightly embarrassed. He knew that staying was his safest choice. As confident as he was in his own abilities, he knew nothing about being a wolf. He hated to admit it, but Izaya knew he needed the help.

“T-thank you…” He muttered, dragging his paw against the ground. “I really appreciate you sticking up for me.”

The white wolf narrowed his eyes. “Don’t think I haven’t heard of your reputation either, Orihara Izaya. I know who you are and what you’ve done. But werewolves have to stick together, even if they’re like you.” 

Shiro spun around and stalked further into the room and left Izaya alone with his thoughts. Somehow, even though Shiro was barely more than a stranger, his words managed to dig their way deep into his fragile heart.

_ He knows who I am, he obviously hates me… But he still defended me. Why?  _ He huffed, flattening his ears.  _ Because ‘werewolves stick together’ he says… But can it really be that simple? I don’t understand.. _

The sound of movement next to him broke him out of his thoughts. He looked to his side and found Jinsei standing next to him. The old wolf gave him a sympathetic look, and nuzzled his cold nose against Izaya’s shoulders. 

“Don’t worry, pup. Shiro is just being protective of the pack. I’m sure in time, you two will become good friends.” He promised as he moved to join the rest of the pack. “After all, he has a month to do so. Relax, Izaya-chan. You’re safe here, I promise.”

Izaya watched Jinsei flop over on the pillows, nuzzling against another scraggly looking wolf and closing his eyes. The pack looked so peaceful together, so happy. And despite what they knew about Izaya, none of them were going to turn him away.

_ Werewolves stick together, huh? _ He wondered as he settled down, resting his head between his paws.  _ Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought… _

He closed his eyes, only to snap them open a second later and whip his head up. 

“A MONTH?!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else seen Wolfwalkers? It's amazing! Fun fact, the trailer for that movie is what inspired me to write this in the first place!
> 
> Also, I have one more final tomorrow and then I'm on winter break! Hopefully that'll give me time to write more! 
> 
> Enjoy!

In the middle of the countryside, a black van ambled slowly along the bumpy dirt path. The tinted windows did not give away the identities of the passengers in the vehicle, however if one were to look closely they would see three silhouettes: Two humans, and one large dog.

In reality, all three of the van's occupants were supernatural beings known as werewolves, with only one of them in their true form.

Within the van, Orihara Izaya stared out at the passing scenery with curious red eyes. He dug his claws into the seat as they drove over a particularly large mound of dirt, the van rocking up and down before settling as they returned to flat ground.

The countryside was beautiful, but they had been driving through it for what felt like hours. The informant turned wolf was beginning to grow impatient (As impatient as one could be when they were still getting used to becoming a supernatural creature).

“How much longer until we get there?” He asked as he tore his eyes away from the passing rice fields, and focused on the two werewolves in the front of the van.

The man in the driver's seat glanced at Izaya in the rear view mirror, his pale gray gaze sending a shiver up the black wolf’s spine. “Not much farther.” He turned his attention back to the road.

Shiro’s human form was even more intimidating than his wolf form (In Izaya’s opinion). He had white hair and extremely pale skin. Across his face was a myriad of scars. He had a large diagonal cut that went from his lower jaw to across his right eye, with a piece of his bottom lip scarred over. Right where his shoulder met his neck was a large chunk of scar tissue. 

In the passenger seat, a young woman brought her head all the way around to glance at the wolf. “Oh, you’ll love it here, there’s fresh air and plenty of room to run! A perfect place to learn to be a wolf! This is where Shiro and I learned all our moves too!” She placed her hand over her mouth, and giggled. “You should have seen the first time he tried to hunt! The rabbit turned him around and scratched him all over! He wouldn’t hunt for a week after that!”

The stoic man in the driver's seat visibly deflated. “Mizuki…” He grumbled as his shoulders slumped, his long nails scratching at the steering wheel.

Mizuki giggled again, and waved her hand at the man. “Sorry, sorry! I can’t help it, that’s one of my favorite stories!” She turned her brown eyes back to Izaya and winked. “The full story is even funnier!”

The girl who had accompanied them was Shiro’s wife. She had long brown hair that ended at her waist, with sideswept bangs. Perched on her nose were a pair of circular wire frame glasses, and behind those were a pair of warm brown eyes. Compared to her stoic husband, her skin was clear of damage except for one spot: a large scar on her calf. 

Izaya looked between them as he shuffled his paws on the car’s back seat. He felt awkward around Shiro and Mizuki. Although he was “one of them”, he was still an outsider looking in on their dynamics. He didn't know what to do or say, especially when trapped in his current form. 

His fur covered sides expanded as he let out a large exhale and settled down with his head between his paws. He still had time before they would arrive at their destination, so he used that to reminisce on the events of the day before. 

After the full moon had ended, all the other wolves changed back to their human forms except for Izaya. He had known that would happen after what the pack leader, Jinsei, had told him the night before, but a tiny part of him had still hoped it was some cruel practical joke.

The now human werewolves had left the building to return to their normal lives except for Shiro and his wife Mizuki. Jinsei has requested that they take Izaya to 'the safehouse' and teach him everything that he needs to know.

Not only was he trapped in the form of a wolf for a month, he was spending that month in the middle of nowhere with two other werewolves, one of which greatly disliked him. 

Would anyone notice he was missing? Namie would, but he doubted that she would care since her paycheck was an automatic process each month. Shinra might, if he wasn't too busy fawning over Celty. Shizuo would probably notice, but he would be happy that Izaya was gone, not upset.

_ Well, there's still Shiki-  _ Izaya tensed up, the blood in his veins running cold as he remembered his boss.  _ I just promised him I would hack the cameras for the footage and then I turn into a stupid dog for a month!  _ He groaned and buried his snout against his paws.  _ Ugh, he’s going to kill me! _

Before Izaya could descend further into panic, the van came to a sudden and abrupt stop. The only reason he didn’t tumble to the ground was thanks to his strong claws digging into the seat once more.

“We’re here!” Mizuki exclaimed as she hopped out of the car. 

Shiro followed her out and went to the side of the van. The door slid open with a rumbling noise, letting the fresh air collide with the stale air of the vehicle after a long drive. His pale grey eyes regarded Izaya coldly as he motioned his head for Izaya to leave the van as well.

Slowly, Izaya scooted to the edge of the car’s plush seat and bunched up his muscles. He jumped off and landed on the soft grass below, his legs shuddered at the sudden impact and he stumbled for a few pawsteps before righting himself.

Finally free of the stuffy van, Izaya found that his nose was overwhelmed by dozens of new smells. Unlike the city, however, none of those smells left him feeling sick or dizzy, so the amount was manageable.

When his eyes gazed at the world around them, he found that they had stopped in front of a traditional Minka house. The wooden building was old, but still in surprisingly good shape. Surrounding the building was a large expanse of forest that seemed to stretch on for miles, and it looked like the only way to get to the house was through a tunnel of trees. Izaya was surprised the van managed to fit through them at all.

Looking back at the house, Izaya hummed thoughtfully. “So this is the safehouse?” He guessed.

“This house belongs to Jinsei’s family,” Shiro’s calm voice melded well with the peace of the forest. “He inherited it after he had been turned into a werewolf. He decided to use it as a place for our kind. We can come here and learn more about our new form, and we don’t have to worry about being discovered. It’s kind of like our safe haven.”

Those pale grey eyes looked into Izaya’s red. “Tonight, I’ll take you into the forest to show you how to understand being a werewolf. There’s a lot to learn, but don’t worry, we’ll get through it all before the next full moon.”

Izaya sighed and shook his head irritably. “But  _ why _ do I have to learn it? I don’t want this… I don’t want to be a werewolf. I want to be a human…” His heart skipped a beat and a feeling of sudden sadness overtook him. 

It had taken Izaya years to admit he was just a simple human being, but when he finally did, it was no longer true.

He whimpered and flattened his ears, turning his eyes down to the green grass below him. “I want... I want to be  _ me _ …”

After a few moments of tense silence, a strong hand gently landed on his head. “I know how you feel....” Shiro promised him, his voice much more tender than it had been a few moments ago. “But you have to understand, the wolf  _ is _ you. It has been you since the moment you were bitten. Nothing can change that now.”

The comforting hand retreated and Shiro began to walk towards the old building. “Come on.” He motioned for Izaya to follow him. “We should get some rest, it’s going to be a long night.”

Izaya nodded his head and slowly followed after the other man. He pushed away the sad and confused thoughts that had plagued his mind the past few days, and idly wondered what Shiro had planned for him.

_ Well… I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see. _

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

When the sun had set and darkness overtook the countryside, Shiro led Izaya away from the old wooden house and into the forest. 

The man moved fast, and Izaya struggled to keep up. The rocks bruised his paw pads, leaves from bushes tickled his nose, and the wind rustled his messy fur. He was thankful for his new night vision, otherwise he would have lost the other werewolf a long time ago.

His eyes turned upwards to the sky, where the large moon beamed down on them. The light from the moon was warm and comfortable, as if being held in a mother’s embrace. He wondered why he felt that way.

He returned his gaze to Shiro just as the man stopped. He yelped and skidded to a stop as he looked back up towards the other werewolf, and then scanned the area where they had stopped.

It was a small clearing surrounded by trees and foliage, with healthy green grass underneath them. The trees were tall, with large plumes of leaves on their branches. They nearly covered the sky, except for a small hole that the moon peeked through. It was as if the trees were respectfully moving their branches aside for the astronomical body.

When he looked back towards Shiro, he found that the man was looking up at the moon with a smile on his face. He stared for a few seconds, gazed around the clearing, and then nodded. “This place is perfect.” He turned to Izaya with the smile still present. “It’s time for you to learn how to be a wolf.”

Izaya huffed in confusion. “And how am I supposed to learn anything when you’re still a human?” He questioned. 

Shiro’s smile turned into an amused smirk. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, before Izaya’s very eyes, he began to glow a gentle white color. His body began to turn transparent with the only things visible the white lines that outlined his body. Those lines floated upwards and morphed into the form of a large wolf. Then, the transparency gave way to the corporeal form as he landed on the ground with a soft thump.

The glow faded away, leaving a white wolf behind. Shiro opened his pale gray eyes and glanced at Izaya, their eyes now level with each other. “Is that better?” He asked.

Izaya’s jaw had dropped, his wide red eyes stared at the wolf in confusion. “W-wait! How did…” He looked up at the sky, and then down at Shiro again. “But… But it isn’t a full moon! How did you change?!”

Shiro’s fur shook as he chuckled. “Werewolves can change at will, it just takes some practice.” He motioned his snout to the moon. “The only day we have to change is the full moon. That’s when the moon’s the strongest.”

Izaya followed the white wolf’s gaze and sighed. “I’m so confused…” He admitted as he sat on the ground, lowering his head and shaking it side to side. “None of this makes any sense… I wish… I wish I could just be human again.” _ I wouldn’t take it for granted this time… _

He heard Shiro sigh and the shuffling of pawsteps. The white wolf settled against his side, the warmth of his fur helping pull Izaya out of his thoughts. “Hey… It’s okay to be confused or not know everything. I felt the same way when I first turned.”

“Y-you did?” Izaya asked, letting his gaze settle on Shiro again.

The wolf nodded his head. “We all do. It’s a big change, and one that takes getting used to.” He stood up and nudged Izaya. “But once you learn how to be a wolf, you’ll love it, believe me. It’s way better than being a boring old  _ human _ .”

Shiro said the word ‘human’ in a slow, disgusted way. It was exaggerated, and it was obvious to Izaya he was only acting that way to cheer Izaya up.

“And no matter what, you’ll never be alone,” Shiro promised him with a firm look in his eyes. “You’re in our pack, and we take care of each other no matter what.”

Warmth blossomed in Izaya’s chest. He knew that Shiro didn’t particularly trust him, but that’s why he believed all the words that reached his ears. Even though he disliked the informant’s choices, he was still taking the time to help him understand the new situation he found himself in. Izaya appreciated it more than he could say. 

Ignoring the churning nervousness in his gut, Izaya got to his feet proudly and gave a determined nod. “Okay, Shiro. Show me how to be a wolf.” 

Shiro’s tail wagged for a moment as he nodded. Stalking into the center of the clearing and motioning for Izaya to follow, he asked,”What can you smell?”

Izaya stood near Shiro as he raised his nose upward, sniffing the air. There was an overwhelming jumble of smells, he could barely make out any of them. “Erm… The grass… Mud… Trees?” He guessed.

Shiro chuckled. “You’re thinking like a human, not a wolf. You need to let your instincts help you. Close your eyes.”

Izaya gave him an incredulous glance for a moment before sighing and letting his eyes slide shut. 

“Now try again,” Shiro’s soft voice reached his ears.

Listening to the more experienced werewolf, Izaya took another few deep breaths through his snout. As he focused, the bundle of different scents finally began to separate into separate, discernable smells. As he began to pick them out, he realized he could tell exactly where they were coming from. 

He smelt the difference between the fresh and dry grass around them, the different berries on nearby trees, and even the sap and bark of the trees themselves.

He could tell that Shiro was in front of him, a strong smell of old books and chocolate was his indicator. There were several scents that seemed to pass through the clearing, deer, mice, and birds; Those scents weren't as strong as Shiro's, Izaya guessed that meant they were older scents. 

When he relayed all this information to Shiro, he heard the wolf make an approving noise. "Very good. Now, listen. You can hear every little thing in the forest."

Izaya kept his eyes closed as he listened. He angled his ears and caught the sounds of a mouse scuttling, an owl hooting in the distance, and the gentle scratching of squirrels climbing through the trees. 

"And your paws can hear through the earth, even the smallest of movements."

He pressed his paws further against the Earth as he felt the gentle vibrations through it. Shiro's pawsteps next to him, the rabbit hopping in the underbrush beneath them, and the small rodent digging in the soil below them.

Izaya let out a soft exhale and opened his eyes. "There's so much…" He looked towards Shiro as his tail wagged.  _ No wonder I got such a bad headache in Ikebukuro. _

Shiro's eyes went from Izaya to the foliage around them. The informant saw the muscles under his fur bunch as he glanced back at him. "Keep up if you can." He challenged, and then took off into the forest in a sprint.

"Eh?! Hey! Wait!" Izaya took a few stumbling steps as he struggled to figure out how to run in the quadrupedal form.

He stumbled past the bushes in an awkward run, only to trip over an exposed root and crash into the ground. He blinked wearily and looked ahead of him, but Shiro was already long gone. 

Izaya got back on his paws and shook his fur free of dirt. He glanced left and right, but he still saw no sign of the white wolf. 

Shiro's words returned to his mind.  _ "You're thinking like a human, not like a wolf.”  _

Izaya closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he found the fresh smell of old books and chocolate once more. It was a straight trail deeper into the forest. He opened his eyes and began to run again.

His awkward gait returned, and Izaya had to stumble quickly to the side to avoid a tree trunk in his path. This led to him losing traction and falling into his side. He let out a frustrated growl.  _ Why is running so hard?!  _

_ Let your instincts help you.  _

The informant forcefully reminded himself of those words again as he tried once more. He stopped trying to control the way he ran, and just went with what felt right. 

Suddenly he was no longer stumbling like a newborn pup, he was running as though he had been a wolf all his life. The bushes and trees flew past him as he galloped further into the foliage.

A warm feeling rose up inside of his chest. Running through the woods, it was almost the same feeling he got when galavanting through Ikebukuro, dodging Shizuo. But there was something different about this… He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Izaya let that warm feeling stay as he ran after Shiro. It was about thirty seconds later that Izaya reached the end of the scent and slowed to a stop. 

_ The scent doesn't continue from here, he must be around here somewhere.  _ Izaya thought as he lowered his nose close to the ground and began to smell. 

The scent made its way from the straight line he had been following towards the bushes to his right. He ignored the ticklish leaves as he trotted past the bush and up to a tree. It seemed that the scent went straight up the tree…  _ Wait… What?  _

Izaya pushed up his front paws and placed them against the tree trunk so that he could look up into the tree itself. At the top of the trunk, relaxing against the branches, was none other than Shiro in human form.

"Hey!" Izaya called out from the ground as he stomped his paw against the tree trunk. "That's not fair!"

Shiro smirked down at him. "You found me, didn't you?" He slid his legs off the tree and jumped down. 

By the time he hit the ground, he was back in his wolf form. Shiro crouched down and let out a loud bark before he took off again, but this time Izaya was ready for it. He pushed off the tree trunk and chased after the white wolf. 

They flew past trees and jumped over roots, the wind howled in his ears and his paws met the ground with soft thumps. He could feel his heart pounding as he picked up speed, that strange warm feeling returning to him. 

Shiro to keep a small lead over the less experienced Izaya. But the informant broker kept a close eye on his surroundings, and noticed a small hill in their upcoming path.

As Shiro sprinted past it, Izaya veered towards it and tramped to the top. With a graceful leap he flew through the air and landed next to Shiro without falling over. The white wolf jolted in surprise and looked over at Izaya, his grey eyes glowing with emotion.

When Izaya looked into those eyes as they continued to run, he finally realized what the warm feeling in his chest was. In the forest, as a wolf, he felt no worries or responsibilities. He felt like he could run forever and ever. 

He felt completely free. 

The sudden realization sent a burst of energy through Izaya as he let go of any remaining hesitation. The two wolves sped side by side through the woods. They ducked under fallen trees and leapt up rocks.

After an exhilarating run they burst through the bushes and into a large field. The light of the moon beamed down on them as they both skidded to a stop. 

Shiro stared up at the moon for a few moments as he regained his breath. Then he lowered his ears, raised his head, and let out a loud howl. 

Izaya felt a chill go up his spine as the sound echoed through the meadow, the howl music to his ears. Even though he had only been a wolf for a few days, he understood exactly how Shiro felt. The freedom to run and explore, to be in a place where you belonged, it was exhilarating.

He angled his head back and let out his own chilling howl. Shiro and Izaya’s voices mixed together and echoed throughout the meadow as they let anyone within the forest know that they were wolves, and they were free.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Shizuo found it difficult to focus on Shinra’s stitching, the pinching sting of the needle entering his skin was barely noticeable in comparison to the seething rage that had overtaken his body. 

“Annoying, annoying, annoying…” He growled out, the metal cup of water that Celty had given him now crushed in his clenched fist. “Annoying… Dammit, what a pain…”

It had been a routine job until he and Tom were surprised by the very person they were sent to collect debt from, who attacked them with a large switchblade. It seemed the debtor knew they were coming and was completely broke with no way to pay them back, so he resorted to violence.

Shizuo easily defeated the threat, but in the fight their crazed client still managed to get a few good slashes in. It quickly turned his mediocre day into a terrible one. He had to get stitches and tell Kasuka that the clothes he bought got ruined… again.

Celty patted his shoulder comfortingly.  **[It’s okay, Shizuo. It won’t scar, and your clothes can always be repaired.]** She said, referring to the worst of his wounds, a sizable slice across his chest and the blood stained dress shirt on the nearby chair.

He knew he should have answered her. She was his friend and she was just trying to comfort him. But he couldn’t find his voice, he was too busy glaring down at the sliced dress shirt with a low grumble in his throat. 

Tom finished sipping out of his own un-crushed cup, and set it on the coffee table. He seemed to notice the tension that Shizuo was causing, as he decided to answer Celty for him. “It’s been a while since someone has tried to jump us like that. I think we were both just a little surprised.” 

“Oh?” Shinra asked as he neared the end of his stitching. “You don’t get attacked a lot?”

“Not usually.” Tom picked up his cup again and swirled the liquid around with his straw. “Most people just make lame threats or try to convince us to give them more time. When we do get attacked, it can be pretty irritating.”

Celty slumped her shoulders and shook her helmet.  **[Why would they even borrow money when they know they can’t pay it back? It makes no sense!]**

Shinra finished stitching the wound and set his tools down. “Well, addiction is a powerful thing, Celty! I know that very well! After all, I am absolutely addicted to loving you-  _ Urk! _ ”

A swift jab to his ribs from Celty stopped him from beginning a tirade about how much he adored the supernatural being. Tom chuckled at their antics, but his small smile faded away as he noticed that Shizuo still had an enraged expression on his face.

“Shizuo?” He asked, ready to calm his friend down if he had to. “Are you alright? If it’s about the suit, you know Kasuka will send you replacements. He always does.”

The blonde bodyguard tightened his grip even further on the metal cup. “That asshole had a switchblade…” He growled.

Tom raised his eyebrows for a moment before he understood. “Oh…”

“It has to be the flea He’s been quiet for too long, he’s up to something!” Shizuo angrily exclaimed,”Every time Izaya is quiet, it means he’s planning to do something to this city! And then I get attacked with a fucking switchblade. It has to be the flea!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Shizuo saw Shinra freeze up at the mention of the pest. Suspicion instantly overwhelmed the blonde, and he whipped around to face the underground doctor. “What is it? What do you know?! Did he tell you what he’s planning?”

Shinra quickly shook his head. “No, no, Shizuo-kun, it’s nothing like that… It’s just…” He sighed. “I don’t think it’s Izaya. Shiki-san visited me a few days ago with some news. Orihara-kun is missing.”

Shizuo’s anger faded in an instant, his face an expression of bewilderment. “W-what? Missing?” He grew suspicious all over again. “How do you know it’s not a trick?”

“Because Shiki-san told me. Orihara-kun may mess with people, but he would never disappear without letting the Awakusu-kai know. He did some searching, but it’s like Izaya just vanished. There’s not even any footage of him leaving the apartment.” A worried expression crossed the underground doctor’s face. 

“That could be a trick!” Shizuo vehemently insisted.

**[I don’t think it is…]** Celty interjected.  **[Izaya always likes to leave with a big spectacle, like when you got fired from that bar and then he went underground. Shiki-san said that his apartment was a mess too, the desk and computers were broken and things were knocked over.]**

Shinra nodded in agreement. “But the strangest thing is that he vanished right after a meeting with Shiki-san. He was talking to Shiki-san about a job, and then right after that he was gone…”

Shizuo wanted to try and come up with some other reason that it could be a big trick… But he couldn’t think of anything. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and a pit of dread appeared in his stomach. "What do you think happened?"

Tom hummed thoughtfully from his seat on the couch, his eyebrows pinched together. "Izaya has a lot of enemies… Maybe he ran out of luck…" The debt collector morbidly suggested. 

Shinra, who still looked concerned, shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we won't know for sure until he comes back…"

_ If he comes back.  _ Nobody said it, but they all were thinking it.

They fell into an awkward silence, which forced Shizuo to face his confusing thoughts. He thought he would be happy to hear Izaya had vanished off the face of the Earth… Why did he feel upset?

Was it because he wasn't the one to chase Izaya away? Or was it because he was actually cared about if the louse was alive or not? No, it couldn't be the second one… Or could it be?

Shizuo growled again, his emotions a mess of anger and worry. He quickly pushed them away, he didn't want to face them. He didn't want to try and understand what they meant. 

Even when he forced them into the darkest corner of his mind, one question still managed to remain at the forefront.

_ Where are you, flea? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New year, new chapter! It's been a little stressful so far, but hopefully it will be an UNEVENTFUL year. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Deep within the dense forest, three wolves wandered. A black wolf took the front, his nose lowered to the ground as he took deep breaths, searching for a scent. Behind him, a white and brown wolf watched with careful eyes.

The black wolf stopped, lifted his nose upward, and angled his ears around. “There’s a river somewhere to the left of us, the rabbit smell goes that way too.” 

The brown wolf let out a happy bark. “Good job, Izzy! We’ll catch the little punk for sure!” She exclaimed as she patted her paws against the ground eagerly.

“Please don’t call me that, my name is Izaya, not Izzy.” The black wolf grumbled with slightly lowered ears.

The brown wolf, Mizuki, scoffed and shook her head. “Nah, too many syllables.” 

Izaya didn’t even bother arguing back that ‘Izzy’ was only one syllable longer than his real name. He knew a stubborn person when he saw one. Instead, he turned towards the left and followed the scent.

After they walked in silence for a while, Izaya found his curiosity was getting the better of him. He slowed his pace so he would be next to the other two wolves, and tilted his head. “So, if werewolves are real, does that mean other supernatural creatures are too?” 

Shiro stared at him for a moment and then inclined his head. “Yep. Vampires, banshees, ghouls, elves, nymphs… All those are real. But, just like us, most of them are either in hiding or have adapted to hiding among humans.”

“And before you ask, no! Werewolves and vampires aren’t enemies!” Mizuki interjected with a swish of her tail. “Why humans think we have to fight when we are both trying to stay safe from humans is beyond me!”

Izaya hummed in understanding. “I see… But, why did werewolves go into hiding anyways? I know it wasn’t for being vicious, because none of you-” He caught himself and cleared his throat. “None of us acted feral when the full moon was out.”

Shiro’s gray eyes gleamed with anger. “We never acted like that, it was a superstition made up by humans. They feared us and our power and abilities. When they tried to kill us, of course we fought back. So, those who wanted us dead the most used it as justification and did their best to wipe us out.”

“People believed we were vicious monsters, so they did their best to wipe us out,” Mizuki added,”It’s the reason there are no wolves in Japan. Nowadays, people will tell you it’s because the wolves all got rabies and fought with humans… But we know better.”

The white wolf nodded in agreement with his wife. “Jinsei makes sure every wolf knows our history. It helps pups understand why we have to stay hidden. History is the greatest teacher after all. Humans think the wolves are gone, and that’s the safest for us right now.”

Izaya took a few seconds to digest the information he had received. If he was human, he would have smirked. “Hmph, humans are so predictable. Simple words can manipulate them into doing monstrous actions! It shows their inner cruelty, don’t you think?”

Next to him, Shiro visibly bristled. “They aren’t cruel, they were scared and misled. It doesn’t make it right, but it doesn’t mean they are evil.” He firmly declared.

“Is that so?” Izaya met his gaze without flinching. “Humans have been hurting each other since they discovered they could. They’re little more than beasts even after years of evolution.”

Shiro angrily opened his jaw to respond, but they were cut off by a loud bark. They stopped their small stand-off and spun around to face Mizuki with their ears raised.

“The rabbit!” Mizuki yelled and took off in a sprint towards the edge of the river, where the rabbit was hopping away. “Get it! Get it!”

The white wolf hurried to follow her, running in front of the rabbit’s path and cutting it off with his teeth bared. He lunged forward to try and catch it, but the rabbit skidded in the mud and sprinted off towards the forest and straight towards Izaya.

“Catch it, Izzy, catch it!” Mizuki’s excited bark reached Izaya’s ears.

Although the idea of hunting a wild animal would have detested a human Izaya, his wild instincts had other plans. As the rabbit sprinted towards an opening of brambles next to Izaya’s paws, he lunged forward and snapped his powerful jaws around the prey’s throat. One snap later and the rabbit went limp, the taste of blood landing on Izaya’s tongue.

He quickly dropped the hare’s body to the floor, and stumbled backwards slightly. Although he had eaten some raw meat since changing form, he had never outright killed anything. It was a rather shocking, yet exhilarating feeling; He almost felt like howling with joy for having a successful hunt.

Mizuki and Shiro, both panting after the sudden exertion, trotted up to the bloodied rabbit and looked at it admiringly. 

“Good catch!” Mizuki wagged her tail as she sniffed the body. “Usually it takes  _ forever _ to catch a rabbit, even with the pack. You were super quick!”

Shiro, who was obviously still irritated from their conversation less than a minute ago, quietly muttered,”Good job…”

The brown wolf nuzzled her nose underneath the rabbit and nudged him towards Izaya. “Here, you caught him, you can have the first bite!”

Izaya was touched by the gesture. So touched that he shook his head and pushed the small creature back to her. “You guys eat first,” He said without thinking. “You did all the work, I just got a lucky bite.”

If either wolf was surprised by Izaya’s sudden generosity, they didn’t show it. They both dug in and left some meat for the informant broker once they were full. After a long day of tracking, Izaya didn’t care that he was eating a dead rabbit, it tasted amazing.

\-- -- -- -- -- --

About a week later, in a small clearing, a dust-covered Izaya stood panting heavily across from a crouched Shiro.

“One more time, attack me again.” Shiro ordered him as he dug his claws into the dirt. 

Izaya took a deep breath and ran forward again. Shiro quickly did the same and lunged forward with his jaws snapping threateningly. Izaya quickly ducked underneath the sharp teeth and rammed his head against Shiro’s flank.

The larger wolf stumbled back a few steps before he regained his footing and bounded forward with his jaw open. Izaya knew he was going for his neck, which in a real fight would lead to death for a wolf.

Izaya quickly ran to meet him and dove down, sinking his teeth into Shiro’s back leg and pulling it along with him. Shiro scratched at the soil frantically to try and remain standing but he had not been expecting the black wolf’s actions and hit the ground with a loud thump.

Once he was sure the white wolf was down, Izaya stood over the other wolf and gently bit the skin on Shiro’s scruff to indicate he had won the fight. As soon as he finished the small bite, he stumbled off the white wolf and sat on the ground panting heavily.

Shiro got to his feet and shook himself, which made dust and fur fly into the air. “Not bad, not bad at all. So that’s two for you, and four for me.” His eyes glinted with amusement at the mention of how many times he had beaten Izaya.

The black wolf huffed and flicked his tail irritably. “Don’t act all high and mighty, Shiro. You basically beat up a puppy. I’ve only been like this for like a week, remember? If I had my knives, you wouldn’t have a chance,” He declared with a puff of his chest.

Mizuki’s giggle made them both turn towards the bushes, where the brown wolf was emerging with two hares dangling in her jaws. She dropped them to the ground, and looked up at them. “Maybe you’re a good fighter as a human, but werewolf fighting is much different, Izzy! When you’re a werewolf, the only thing you can always rely on is your claws, your strength, and your brains!”

“What about teeth?” Izaya asked as he looked between them. “We were just using them in our practice fight, after all.”

Shiro nodded. “We were, but… You have to be careful with what you bite.” He turned his eyes up to the cloud covered sky. “Another thing that humans have wrong is that we can only turn people into werewolves when the moon is full. The truth is that our bite always has the chance to turn people.”

Mizuki used her paw to draw a circle in the dirt. “When the moon is full, pretty much every bite will result in turning someone into a werewolf.” She rubbed her paw over the circle. “Even when it is a new moon, there’s still a chance. As the moon grows stronger, so do our bites.”

“Which is why it is one of the three rules that all werewolf packs obey.” Shiro turned his strong, intense gaze towards Izaya. “Werewolves must stick together, werewolves must never reveal their true form to humans, and werewolves must  _ never _ bite a human.”

Izaya shivered underneath the strong gaze, it felt as though Shiro was etching those three rules into his soul. When he pushed past the anxious feeling, he awkwardly asked,”So...I guess new werewolves aren’t that common?”

Mizuki shook her head. “Not as much anymore. Of course, sometimes there’s an accidental bite or a fight that goes wrong… But those are few and far between.” She sniffed both rabbits as she continued,”Most wolf packs still have scouts that search for any new pups, that was how Shiro found you. If we’re lucky we find them before the full moon and can help them before they almost get hit by a truck!”

Izaya’s fur grew hot at the mention of his near-death experience mere minutes after transforming for the first time. He quickly pushed that aside, his curiosity still brimming. “So even as humans, we can tell where other wolves are?”   
  


“Not just wolves, silly! We’re supernatural creatures, remember? We have cooler abilities than that!” Mizuki bragged. “It’s an ability we share with most other magical beings, we have the ability to sense when people like us are nearby!”

“By ‘people like us’, Mizuki means other supernatural creatures. Like, if you walked into a coffee shop and the barista is a vampire, you’d be able to tell. She’d also be able to tell you were a werewolf.” 

The brown wolf rolled over in the dirt. “Yeah! And that way if they turn out to be supernatural, that means you can bite them without guilt!” She giggled as she rolled over again, coating her fur in a layer of dust.

Izaya blinked in confusion and looked towards Shiro. “So I’m guessing that our bites won’t affect other supernatural creatures?” He guessed.

Shiro nodded, seemingly relieved that Izaya was able to understand Mizuki’s jumping from one topic to another. “Nope, and the same works for them. A vampire biting you won’t turn you into a vampire, and your bite can’t turn them either. So, if you’re going to bite anyone, other supernaturals are the best.”

Izaya tucked that information away in a safe place in his brain, as it was all important things that he definitely needed to remember. “Got it, no biting any silly humans.” He leaned down and took a large bite of the rabbit. “Although I think it would be very interesting to see how humans react to such an ability! To observe them as they change, would they react differently? How interesting!”

Next to him, Shiro bristled again. “Don’t even joke about stuff like that,” He growled,”Transformations can be horrifying. Some people don’t even survive them! Don’t you dare think of biting anyone to get your sick kicks!”

“Oya, oya, so defensive over a simple joke?” Izaya cruelly teased. “Isn’t that all part of life? Humans are like little lab rats, you never know how they’ll react. How else will you know unless you nudge them into perfect scenarios?”

Izaya’s tail swished excitedly at Shiro’s reaction. The wolf’s fur was raised, his teeth bared as he was about to release an onslaught of anger at the raven. But, before anything interesting could happen, Mizuki interjected.

“Hey! No fighting! Let’s finish our food and get back to the cabin, we’ve been here too long already!” She snapped at them, her gaze landing on Shiro’s form. “And you, don’t forget what we talked about earlier.”

Shiro’s fur settled and he huffed in frustration, snatching the untouched rabbit and stalking towards the edge of the clearing. Mizuki sent Izaya a frustrated look before hurrying towards her husband, sitting with him.

Having successfully pushed the buttons of the two wolves, Izaya sat alone and finished off his own meal. However, he found he didn’t feel as satisfied as he thought he would. Usually, when he messed with people, he was left feeling happy and fulfilled…

Why was it that when he hurt Shiro and Mizuki’s feelings, it left a painful weight in his chest?

\-- -- -- -- -- --

As they headed towards the old house, the gray clouds in the sky became storm clouds. A heavy rainfall, followed by strong wind, thunder, and lightning made the walk back extremely unpleasant. The mud stuck between their paws, and the rain made their coats heavy with water.

The wind sent the water straight into their face. They were forced to slow their pace and trudge forward with squinted eyes and flattened ears. They could barely see where they were stepping. It was only thanks to the flash of lightning that Izaya noticed something shiny on the ground.

As soon as he saw it, Mizuki’s paw went towards the ground where it was shining. Panic burst through him and he burst forward, knocking Mizuki away. “Stop! There’s a trap!” He barked over the howling wind.

Mizuki stumbled in shock, her eyes opening wide and looking down at the ground. Shiro followed their gaze and seemed to notice the trap as well. He used his paw to knock a small rock towards the trap. As soon as it landed, the trap snapped shut with a loud clang. It was a bear trap. 

The brown wolf gasped and stumbled backwards. “Oh shit… I- I almost stepped in that?!” She squeaked, her tail between her legs and ears flat against her head.

Shiro suddenly raised his head into the air, his ears angling towards a sound in the woods. Without speaking he shoved Izaya and Mizuki into the foliage nearby and crouched down with them, his white coat barely noticeable thanks to the mud now coating it.

Seconds after they dove into the woods, two humans hurried towards the trap. One was a scrawny old man and the other was a teenage boy with an annoyed look on his face. The three hidden wolves held their breath, and stayed perfectly still. 

“See?! I told you something has been prowling around here!” The man that smelt like a campfire explained. “Look! It tripped the trap! It’s gotta be nearby! Let’s find it before it gets to the chicken coop!”

The teen, who smelt like ramen and bad cologne, sighed in frustration. “Grandpa, it’s pouring rain out here. The wind could have knocked something into the trap. It’s too dangerous to go hunting something right now, the river might flood if this rain keeps up. Let’s go home!"

The older man looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually snatched the trap from the ground and hurried after his grandson while grumbling in frustration. The three wolves in the foliage didn’t move or breathe until the two humans were far gone.

“That was too close…” Shiro whispered, turning his gaze to his two companions. “Let’s go, right now.”

The three hurriedly made their way back to the house while keeping an eye out for any traps. They managed to make it home, but Izaya’s heart was still pounding for hours afterwards. When was the last time he had felt that afraid? He wasn’t sure. 

_ The rain should wash away our tracks, though…  _ He thought hopefully.  _ Then we can go back, maybe further into the forest, and finish up this training when the rain settles down. _

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

It seemed like luck was not on their side anymore. The horrible storm refused to let up even after a week. They had tried to go out into the forest, but the ground was so wet that their paws sank deep into the mud. 

Their living situation wasn’t much better. The wind managed to rip off several older roof tiles, leading to several leaks in the old house. All food they would usually hunt were hidden in their dens or moved to high ground, and when Shiro and Mizuki tried to follow them it ended with them nearly being caught by the angry uncle from before.

After a full week of the terrible rainstorm, filled with stressful events and empty stomachs, the tension between the three of them only grew worse. Like a rubber band pulled too far, they eventually snapped. Their snap happened at the beginning of the second week trapped in the decaying house.

Mizuki, in her human form, had just finished setting down three more pots to catch the drips from the holes in the ceiling. The sound of water hitting metal echoed through the room as a constant sound, one pot after the other catching the droplets.

The young woman sighed in exhaustion and slumped against the wall, holding her hands over her ears as the wind made the rain shutters clatter. “This storm is so awful! Why is it still going on?!”

Shiro looked down in one of the pots, which was already nearly filled with water. “We’ll have to see if we can repair it next time we come down. Jinsei wouldn’t want the house to stay like this, especially when the storm season starts for real.”

Izaya watched their back and forth quietly when a large water drop suddenly landed on his nose. He jolted in surprise from the cold feeling and stumbled back, lowering his head and rubbing his paw against the place the water droplet had landed. “Ugh… There’s another leak!”

“I don’t know if we have anything else we can catch the leak with,” Mizuki huffed from her spot on the floor.

The informant turned wolf sighed in frustration and moved away from the leak, settling down in the first dry spot he was able to find. He curled up the best he could to try and stop himself from shivering due to the cold.

Mizuki scooted towards her husband, who pulled her into an embrace. Everyone was silent for several minutes, until the young woman let out a nervous noise. “I’m afraid, Shiro…” She whispered. “This is the first time we’ve left the pack alone since...”

“Everyone will be fine, ‘zuki,” Shiro tried to reassure her.

Her forlorn eyes turned to meet his. “But what if it isn’t? What if someone else disappears? We’ve already lost so many people, and so have the other packs! I… I don’t want to lose anyone else…”

“Jinsei knows what he’s doing” Shiro placed a kiss on her hair. “He has extra security and is keeping contact with the other pack leaders, remember? They’ll make sure no one else goes missing.”

Izaya, who was quietly listening, became too curious to stay quiet anymore. He looked towards the couple and tilted his head. “Missing? This is the first time I’m hearing about this…” He spoke louder than normal so that he could be heard over the clattering rain shutters.

Shiro and Mizuki exchanged concerned looks. Izaya could tell that they were trying to decide if they should explain or keep quiet.

“Jinsei said we shouldn’t say anything until we get back,” The young man told his wife.

Mizuki shook her head. “I didn’t agree to that, Shiro. He deserves to know.”

The white haired man looked like he wanted to argue, but instead sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. When it became obvious that he wasn’t going to be saying anything about whatever they were whispering about, Mizuki took over.

“It’s been happening for a few months now… Every now and then, a werewolf disappears without a trace. No one knows what happens to them.” She hugged herself and shivered. “We’ve tried to track their scents, but it’s like they vanish off the face of the Earth. We’ve had to be even more careful and watch our backs. But no matter how hard we try to be safe, people are still disappearing.”

Mizuki motioned towards her husband. “That’s why Jinsei has been sending out scouts more often than before. We want to find new wolves before they vanish like the others. We haven’t found anyone who has disappeared, so the best we can do is try to keep the ones still around safe.”

Izaya found that he felt a mixture of fear and concern. Fear of what could possibly be making the other werewolves disappear, and concern for where they might be and if they were safe. He felt genuinely worried at the idea of Mizuki or Shiro vanishing. These emotions, this care he felt for people he barely knew... It was overwhelming to him. So, Izaya did what he knew best: He lashed out.

“Ah… I see. Well then, why would anyone be interested in joining a pack when you aren’t capable of protecting anyone?”

Mizuki and Shiro turned to him with wide, horrified eyes. Mizuki’s hands went to cover her mouth, her eyes shining with guilt and unshed tears. Shiro’s reaction, as usual, was much more explosive. He jolted to his feet with his teeth bared, and an angry growl rising up in his throat.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He yelled at the black wolf. “They’re werewolves just like you, they’re your kind! How can you say something like that?!”

Izaya kept a calm expression on his face. “I may be a werewolf, but that doesn’t mean I have to care about them. When I was human, I didn’t care about giving information to those human traffickers. Why would I care about a bunch of glorified dogs?”   
  


Shiro’s fingernails began to turn to claws, as his growl grew louder. But Izaya was in too deep to stop, and his mouth moved on its own.

“When they went missing, no one cared to look for them. They disappear without a trace and are never found again.” Izaya raised his red eyes to stare into the enraged grey ones. “You’re just like all those missing humans, you mean nothing to me.”

Shiro’s chest heaved in frustration and he let out an angry snarl. Those clawed hands raised, as if he were about to strike Izaya down. But at the last second, his hand dropped and he sprinted towards the door. By the time he reached the shutters, he had transformed into a wolf and knocked it down with ease.

Mizuki quickly jumped to her feet and tried to catch him. “Shiro! Wait! Stop!” She called for her husband with an outstretched hand. But it was too late, the white wolf had already disappeared into the forest.

Izaya watched the scene without saying another word. Once again, instead of feeling the usual satisfaction he just felt that same heavy weight in his chest. He slumped his shoulders and lowered his head as confusion overwhelmed him. Why was he feeling this way?

“Are you happy now?” Mizuki’s cold voice made him lift his head again. Her usually warm brown eyes glared down at him with disgust. “Is this what you want? To push away anyone who would try and be close with you? It’s working very well, is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy?!”

Her harsh tone made the heavy weight in his chest grow worse. As it grew more powerful, Izaya finally realized what it was. It was the feeling of immense guilt.

Izaya let out a large sigh, and hung his head. “No…” He quietly admitted.

Mizuki’s angry gaze softened somewhat, but she stayed quiet and didn’t respond to his quiet admission. The silence ate away at him, and he forced the emotions he had been pushing down to the surface.

“I… I don’t know… Everytime someone tries to get close to me, I push them away or try to manipulate them. I care about you and Shiro, I do, but I still hurt you guys…” He whimpered and flattened his ears against his head. “Why… why did I do that?”

Mizuki stared at him for a few more painful moments before she knelt down and gently scratched him behind his ears. “I think I understand. You’ve kept yourself alone and pushed people away for so long, that when people genuinely try to reach out and befriend you, you don’t know how to handle it.”

Izaya nodded his head in agreement. “The last person I tried to open up to was Shizu-chan… But before I even said anything, he already decided he hated me…” 

“You do realize that doesn’t excuse the way that you're acting, right?” She questioned him seriously.

The heavy weight in his chest faded the slightest bit as he sighed and responded,”Yeah… I know…”

The woman looked towards the broken down door. "You know, you and Shiro are more alike than you probably realize." 

"When Shiro was young, he grew up in a pretty bad home. Most of the time, the only attention he got was being hurt. But since he was all he knew, he did whatever he could to get a reaction out of people." Mizuki explained to him. 

"Sometimes that was causing a fight, but most of the time it was manipulating people. He'd trick people into stealing, or fighting with each other. They'd always get mad at him, but he didn't care, because at least people were paying attention to him."

"But when he was a teenager, he picked a fight with the wrong person and got bit. Jinsei was the one who found him when he first changed. At first, Shiro tried to do the same to the pack. But Jinsei knew what he was doing, so he personally took Shiro to train him for his month as a wolf."

Mizuki smiled in admiration. "He helped show Shiro that there were people who cared for him, and would be by his side no matter what." She turned her gaze back to Izaya. "And that includes you. That's what we are trying to show you, Izaya."

The black wolf let out a slight whimper. "I- I don't understand. Y-you guys are so kind, even though I never returned your kindness. I feel so lost… Why are you both so kind when you know I wouldn't return the favor?"

"That's how packs work," Mizuki easily answered,"We aren't just a pack of wolves. We're a family. We protect and care for each other, even if the rest of the world is against us." 

The idea of being part of a family was odd to Izaya. Of course he had a human family, but they had never been close. His parents were always out of the country, and he had practically been forced to raise his sisters on his own. 

What was it like to have a family that cared for you unconditionally? Was that what a wolf pack was like? He remembered what Jinsei and Shiro had both said: 'Werewolves stick together'. 

The feeling of guilt was overwhelming. Izaya knew he had gone too far. Despite obviously hating Izaya's line of work, Shiro had still taken the time to teach him how to be a wolf. And what had Izaya done in return? He had chased him away.

He whimpered and tucked his tail in between his legs. "Mizuki… I'm sorry…" He whispered,"I'm sorry for everything. I shouldn't have tried so hard to hurt you guys. There was no reason for it. I promise, I'll try to be better!"

Mizuki stared at him for a long moment before she nodded. "I believe you, and I forgive you." She said with a gentle smile. But it quickly faded as she turned back to the broken door. "But I'm not the one you need to convince." 

Izaya followed her gaze and felt the guilt return once more. He had pushed Shiro so hard that the werewolf had no choice but to run away. At that moment, he knew what he had to do.

He rose to his paws and went toward the broken door. "I'm going to find him," He declared.

Mizuki nodded her head proudly as she crouched down, the gentle glow surrounding her body before she morphed into the form of a graceful brown wolf.

She lifted her head and angled her ears. "Let's go."

Together, the two wolves slid through the broken door and disappeared into the dense foliage of the forest in search of their runaway pack member. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?? A new chapter so early after the last? Yep! As you can see, this is pretty long because I had to split it into two different chapters, so you get this one today! I hope you all enjoy!

The rain fell from the clouds in copious amounts, the trees shuddered and creaked as the wind violently threw them around, the lightning occasionally lit up the sky for a brief moment before it disappeared, followed by the booming of thunder. 

As the thunder ended, a different noise emerged from inside the forest. The sound of howling rose into the sky. In the middle of the woodlands, two wolves stood with their heads angled towards the sky, desperately calling for their pack member.

When their howl ended, they lowered their heads and angled their ears from side to side. They listened desperately for any noise that could be interpreted as a howl from the white wolf they were searching for.

Mizuki let out a loud whimper of frustration and turned to face Izaya as her fur bristled. “It’s no use!” Her voice was nearly drowned out by the roaring of the wind. ”I can barely hear anything as it is!”

Izaya knew how she felt. The booming thunder, the creaking trees, and violent breeze was painful to his sensitive hearing. He had to strain to hear Mizuki, and she was only a few feet away from him.

The black wolf looked at the swaying trees and back at Mizuki as guilt pooled in his chest. “He couldn’t have gotten far! We have to find him! The storm is only getting worse!” Izaya loudly replied.

Although he didn’t voice it, he knew both he and Mizuki were thinking of the same thing. They needed to find Shiro and bring him home safe, and then Izaya would be able to apologize for his unwarranted cruelty.

_It was my fault he ran away in the first place…_ Izaya thought as they trudged through the muddy grass. _If I hadn’t acted like a bratty child, he would still be safe. This is all my fault!_

Izaya and Mizuki forced their way through the storm as the wind tried to force them back, the mud squished uncomfortably in between their paw pads, and their fur soaked to the bone. They trekked for what felt like an eternity without finding any sign of Shiro.

Mizuki looked exhausted. Unlike Izaya, who had thick black fur that kept him warm, her own brown coat was shorter and the rain was affecting her more. She was shivering so badly it was like she could barely stand. Izaya wasn’t sure how much longer she would hold out.

Just as it seemed like they would have to give up and turn around, Izaya noticed something on a nearby tree. “Mizuki!” He trotted ahead of her and up to a tree, where large claw marks were flayed across the bark. The leaves on the tree were large, and seemed to have saved the bark from getting wet, which meant any scent would still be there.

He pressed his nose closer to the bark and inhaled the scent attached to it. His heart skipped a beat. _Old books and chocolate… Shiro’s scent!_ He yipped hopefully and hopped backwards to let Mizuki sniff the claw marks. As soon as she caught the scent, her resolve was once again strong.

“The scent is still strong! He was here, and recently!” Mizuki guessed after another sniff. She raised her nose and sniffed around until she seemed to catch a train. “Come on! We have to find him before the rain gets rid of the trail!”

The two wolves quickly took off into the woodlands. The mud fought to slow their pace, and the rain threatened to wash away their only trail. The two ran as far as the smell took them. When the scent became difficult to discern, they stopped again and tried to pick it up once more.

Izaya caught the scent of many different things, but he struggled to discern anything that could be from the missing wolf. He rummaged through the smell of humans, sap, and mud in the search of that familiar one attached to the white wolf.

When he finally caught the scent, so did Mizuki. The brown wolf swished her tail towards the trees to their right. “This way!” She burst forward as a blast of bright lightning danced across the sky. 

The light in the darkness made Izaya notice something shimmering in the muddy grass… Something sharp. Panic overtook him as he realized what it was, but he was too late to warn Mizuki.

With a loud clang, the trap snapped shut around her front paw. The young woman let out a shocked howl of pain and crashed into the mud. “Shit! My leg! My leg!!” She cried and writhed in pain. 

“No!” Izaya burst forward and ran to her side. He could already smell the blood coming from the wound on her paw. He turned to where the trap was buried in the soil and began to furiously dig to try and dislodge it.

Mizuki growled and bit at the metal clamped around her leg, tugging as hard as she could but it wouldn’t budge. “Shit! Izaya! You need to keep going, find Shiro! I’ll be fine!” 

“I can’t leave you here! What if whoever put it here comes back?!” He didn’t even look up at her, he was still trying to dislodge the buried metal. 

Mizuki furiously shook her head. “I’ll be fine! But we can’t lose Shiro’s scent, go now!” She ordered him in a strong tone that sent a chill down his spine. 

He knew she was right, so he nodded in understanding and turned to run away. But as he turned, the sound of mud squelching reached his sensitive ears. He froze, his red eyes scanning the forest around them. Where could that noise be coming from? Was it Shiro? Had he changed back?

The wind began to blow forward, bringing with it a scent that Izaya recognized. The smell of a campfire… The human! He spun around just in time to see a large pitchfork speeding down towards him. He yeled in terror and tried to jump out of the way.

The sharp edge of the pitchfork sliced against the side of his face. He stumbled and crashed to the ground, his head spinning from the sudden assault.

“I knew it! I knew it! Wolves! You damn creatures! Thought you could pretend you were extinct and kill my livestock?! Not this time! I’m gonna kill both you filthy creatures!” The old man’s voice echoed in Izaya’s head.

There were the sounds of footsteps as Izaya’s vision began to stop spinning. He could see the man raising the pitchfork, and Mizuki let out a horrified cry as she desperately tried to pull away.

“No!!” Izaya forced himself to his paws and burst forward. He rammed his head against the old man’s legs and sent him to the ground, the pitchfork splattering in the mud as he landed next to it.

The old man yelped in shock as he hurriedly sat up and grabbed it again. By the time he was up, Izaya had taken a defensive stance in front of his packmate. His hackles were raised, his ears flat against his head, his teeth bared, and his ferocious growl echoing on the trees around them.

For a moment, he saw fear flash through the man’s eyes. But it vanished a as he sent the pitchfork forward again. With a loud snap of his teeth, Izaya flew forward to meet it. He ducked under the sharp edges, ignoring the feeling of it catching the skin on his flank, and sank his teeth into the wooden shaft.

“You damned creature! Let go!” The old man shook the pitchfork in an attempt to dislodge the black wolf, but Izaya only held on tighter.

He held tight as he ran forward, dragging the old man away from the trapped Mizuki. They grappled as both tried to shake the other off. The lightning flashed again as Izaya bit down as hard as he could. With a loud snap, the pitchfork broke in half.

The old man, who had been tugging hard, stumbled backwards and landed in the mud again. Izaya quickly spit the broken wood from his mouth and stood above the human with a snarl. He couldn’t bite the man, but he could scare him away and that was good enough for him.

Their eyes met, and Izaya could see the terror within the old man’s. He didn’t care to manipulate or mess with the human, all he cared about was keeping his pack member safe. He let his growl emerge once more as he lurched forward and snapped at the air with a loud bark.

The old man yelped in fear and scrambled up, running away without looking back. He stumbled and fell into the mud once, but a quick bark from Izaya made him quickly right himself and run away faster than before.

Izaya panted for a few moments and then let out a satisfied huff. He looked down at the piece of the wooden shaft the old man had been holding during their grapple. He knelt down and picked it up in his jaws, hurrying over to Mizuki.

“Here… Use this.” He placed the stick down and nudged it into the small opening of the trap made by Mizuki’s paw. 

The young woman quickly caught on and helped Izaya press weight down on the stick, forcing the trap to open up. As soon as she could move her paw she yanked it away and stumbled backwards. When she tried to place the paw down, she let out a sharp yelp and hurriedly lifted it.

“Damn it…” She whispered, gently licking at the wound. “I can’t go on, not like this. Izzy, promise me you’ll find Shiro! If the old man was lurking out here, he may have tried to catch Shiro too! You have to get him home!”

Izaya ignored the stinging on his face and flank as he gave a determined nod. “I will, Mizuki. I won’t come back until I find him. Can you make it back to the house? The old man might come back, you’ll be safer there.”

Mizuki looked at her paw, and back towards where the old man had run. “I don’t think he’ll come back, you scared him pretty good. But you’re right, I’ll go back, but I’ll be slow. Go, now!” 

Izaya nodded as he watched her limp away. Once he was sure she could move on her own, he took a deep inhale to catch Shiro’s scent again. It was faint, but it was still there. He knew where to go, but he had to get there fast.

He ran through the forest as the ice cold rain began to seep through his thick coat and make him shiver. He kept a careful watch out for any more traps. Any he saw, he quickly tripped for his and Shiro’s safety when they returned.

Finally, after a painful eternity, he caught a stronger scent again. At the same time, he heard the sound of rushing water. _The river? Why would Shiro be here?_ He looked through the trees and felt his heart jolt.

The river was completely flooded. The water rose above the bank and sloshed against the bark of drowning trees. The water was dark and violent, splashing and swirling as though it had its own storm within it.

He could smell Shiro, he knew he had to be here, where was he? Had he gotten trapped on the other side? Did he get washed downriver? Izaya needed to find him.

The black wolf trotted alongside the water’s edge as his red eyes scanned the river. He stopped once to let out a loud howl, trying to see if Shiro responded, but just like last time he got nothing in return. He began to fear that he may never find the missing wolf.

After he took a few more steps, a distinct smell he recognized easily. It wasn’t Shiro, it was the smell of blood. 

With panic fueling him, Izaya hurried towards the scent and skidded to a stop as he noticed a flash of white by the river. His eyes widened in shock. “SHIRO!” 

In the middle of the rushing water, draped over a log, Izaya could see the white wolf with red staining his muddy fur. His eyes were closed, and the water was dragging his back legs around as if they were being puppeted. 

The log was only managing to stay unmoving thanks to being slightly elevated by a rock. If anything were to dislodge it, Shiro would likely sink. The black wolf on the bank knew that he didn’t have much time.

Izaya ran to try and reach him, but the second he took a step into the water he sank up to his stomach. He yelped in fear and backed up, his eyes watching the unconscious wolf. “I- I can’t! I don’t know how to swim, Shiro, I’m sorry!” He whimpered and looked at the rushing water. “There’s got to be somewhere that the water is lower, I could cross there and come back and-”

A flash of white light exploded in his vision as one of the trees across the bank was struck with a bolt of lightning. Izaya cried out in shock and scrambled backwards as the sizzling tree creaked loudly. Then, as if it had given up, the large tree fell towards the river. “No, no, no!!”  
  


With a loud splash, the tree sent large shockwaves through the water. The strong waves crashed into the log that Shiro was clinging to and dislodged it without any effort. Izaya could only watch in horror as the white wolf sank off the log and into the darkness of the river.

“No!!” Izaya cried as ran with the rushing water. He couldn’t see Shiro at all, it was if he had been swallowed whole by the flood. He knew he wouldn’t be able to save Shiro now… Unless…

Izaya felt his heart beat against his chest, but he couldn’t stop his body. He crouched down and leaped. His body crashed into the water, the cold sending a shock through his system. 

The water was ruthless. It battered Izaya like a tennis ball, he felt his body spin and hit the many rocks underneath the water. When he managed to surface for a moment he gasped for air, only to swallow water instead. I’m drowning! I’m drowning!

As his thrashing continued, Izaya began to fear that his stupid decision to jump would be the last decision he ever made. But before he could succumb to the darkness, a strange voice reached his ear. 

_Stop thinking like a human, for you are not one. You are a wolf, use that knowledge and save yourself!_

The mysterious voice grounded Izaya, and pushed away his panic for a brief moment. He knew the voice was right. Perhaps as a human, Izaya couldn’t swim, but he was no longer human. He was a werewolf, and he had the ability to save himself.

Izaya let his instincts take over. His body stopped it’s thrashing and he managed to right himself. Underneath the water, he began to paddle, using the small webs between his toes to his advantage. His heart soared as he no longer struggled to stay surfaced, the wolf inside him knew all along how to swim.

“I’m doing it! I’m swimming!” He barked enthusiastically before he calmed himself. “I’m coming, Shiro!”  
  


The river pushed him forward as he paddled to the best of his ability. His eyes scanned the darkness of the water for any sign of the white wolf. Soon, he caught sight of soaked white fur. “Shiro!”

Izaya paddled faster as his panting grew heavier, unused to swimming. Once he managed to catch up with the limp form, he found that only Shiro’s side was above water. He dove down to the side, sank his teeth into Shiro’s scruff, and pulled.

The sudden weight made swimming even harder. Izaya grunted as water sloshed into the openings of his jaw and his nose, but he forced down the instinct to cough. If he let go, he might not be able to catch up to Shiro again.

He held on tight as he kicked as fast as he could towards the edge of the water. He needed to get them to dry land as soon as possible, before both of them were washed away and drowned.

Just as he felt his paw land on something solid, a huge wave crashed into Izaya’s side. His paw’s delicate grip on the muddy ground was dislodged and he yelped in surprise as they were tossed roughly back into the darkness of the river. He lost his grip on Shiro’s scruff for a moment and let out a panicked cry as he lunged forward, his teeth barely managing to catch the skin again.

He let the current carry them for a moment as he adjusted his grip on Shiro’s scruff once more. Once he was sure he was holding on as tight as he could without hurting his packmate, he kicked as hard as he could towards the surface.

When he finally clawed his way to the edge of the bank, his legs were shaking so hard he felt like he would fall over any moment. He took slow, heavy steps as he dragged the limp white wolf as far away from the river as he could. They soaked coats left a trail of water as he brought them back into the forest.

When they were safe, he dropped his grip on the wolf’s scruff and stumbled to his side. He could see the wolf’s side rising up and down, he was alive, but it was weak. Izaya whimpered and pressed his nose to Shiro’s forehead, giving a small lick. “Shiro… Shiro wake up…”

The wolf didn’t react at all. Izaya let out another small whimper, but went silent as the smell of blood reached him again. He lifted his head and looked towards the red stains on Shiro’s side. There was a large gash against his side, so bad that Izaya almost wanted to throw up. _How did this happen?!_

“Oh no… Shiro…” Izaya croaked as he watched his packmate’s breathing begin to come to a stop. It seemed like there was nothing he could do to help with such a horrible injury. So Izaya raised his head to the sky, prepared to release a mournful howl.

But just as his howl started, it came to a stop as a strange feeling overcame him. Like a rush of energy that sent his heart pounding against his chest. Despite the fact that he had never felt it before, he knew exactly what it was. _A werewolf was near._

He jumped to his paws and looked around the forest, but he found nothing. Then, the sound of splashing water reached his ears. He spun around and stared at the rushing river. Halfway across the treacherous waters was a large gray wolf. 

Izaya felt a burst of protectiveness overcome him. He stepped forward so he was standing over Shiro’s prone form, and narrowed his eyes at the other werewolf. He bared his teeth the slightest bit as a warning. _Don’t mess with my packmate._

The gray wolf did not react to his warning. He swam across the river and climbed out with ease, his gentle brown eyes never leaving Izaya. “Don’t be afraid, pup,” He finally spoke, his voice deep and strong. “I am not here to hurt you, I am here to help you.”

“Help me?” Izaya echoed suspiciously as he glanced towards Shiro. “How can you help? The wound.. It’s too big…”

The gray wolf’s warm gaze softened and grew sad. He shook his head with a sigh, and looked up towards the sky. “It always saddens me to see how many werewolves have forgotten about the moon’s gifts.”

Izaya balked. “The moon…” He followed the wolf’s gaze with a frustrated growl. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Let me show you.” The gray wolf stepped forward and motioned his snout to Shiro. “Trust me. What I have to show you will help your packmate.”

The black wolf hesitated. This wolf sounded like he was speaking nonsense. But for some reason, Izaya felt like he could believe him. He slowly dipped his head, stepped back, and crouched down next to the unconscious Shiro.

The gray wolf returned the small bow before he approached Shiro. He lifted a paw and placed it against Shiro's wound. Then, he angled his head back and let out a loud howl.

As he listened, Izaya shivered in awe. This howl was unlike any he had heard before. It was strong, and imbued with power. It sent a spike of adrenaline through him. Even though Izaya had never seen such an ability if felt familiar...

Then, the gray wolf began to glow a gentle white color. The glow slowly began to creep over Shiro's prone form. As it hit the deep gash, the wound began to glow brightly. 

As the howl came to a close and the glow began to fade. When the bright light around Shiro's wound disappeared, the wound was completely gone and only clean white fur remained where it used to be.

Izaya let out a soft gasp. He trotted over and leaned down to sniff at the healed wound. He couldn't even smell blood anymore, it was like the wound had never happened. 

"How did you… how did you do that?" He whispered as he turned his red eyes up to the other wolf.

The grey wolf regarded him kindly. "We are the moon's children, young pup, and she gave us many gifts besides our wolf form. But when we were forced to hide among humans, many of those gifts were forgotten."

He turned away from Izaya and looked back towards the sky. "Many have forgotten her, but she has not forgotten us. That is why I cast away my human identity, and committed myself fully to the form she gave me." 

"You live only as a wolf?" Izaya asked with a tilt of his head. 

The grey wolf nodded proudly. "Yes, I am one of the Wild Ones. Humans have caused us only misery, but the moon has always been kind. So, we commit ourselves to her form and continue the traditions that many others have long forgotten." 

Izaya found his respect for the gray werewolf growing stronger. "That is a very noble life to live." He turned to look at the sky as well. "But I don't understand. If we have these gifts, gifts that help people, then why did humans try to kill all our kind?"

His mysterious companion's wise eyes landed on Izaya once more. "Humans often fear things they don't understand." 

Izaya stayed silent after the werewolf's firm declaration, for he didn't know what to say. He had many questions, but he wasn't sure if he should ask them. 

Eventually, the grey wolf was the one who spoke next. "I saw what you did for your packmate. Even though you are just a pup, you still risked your life to save him. You are a very courageous wolf."

Izaya felt his heart soar, only to quickly be weighed down by the guilt of his actions. He whimpered and flattened his ears. "But it was my fault he got hurt in the first place. He ran away because I was being a jerk, and he got hurt…"

"And it take courage to admit that," The gray wolf quickly countered. "And despite your harsh actions, you still risked your life to save him. That, to me, is the sign of a wolf with a kind soul." 

The wolf got to his paws and shook his wet fur. "Listen, pup. I want to teach you to heal like I do. This power has been lost to most our kind. But maybe, through you and your packmates, it can be reborn. Would you like to learn?" 

Izaya felt his heart flutter once more. _Orihara Izaya with the power of healing? How ironic._ But at the same time, perhaps it was the best choice for him. After spending most of his life causing harm, now he could finally begin to redeem himself. 

With a firm resolve, Izaya looked into the brown eyes and gave a firm nod. "It would be an honor to learn." 

As the rain began to calm, the clouds parted slightly and gave the moon a view of two of her children, and the sight of her gift being shared once more. That night, she shined more brightly than she had in a long time. 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- 

"You found him!!" Mizuki let the tears she had been holding back fall. She held her bandaged hand close as she jumped down from the genkan and ran towards the two wolves. 

Izaya took slow steps as he balanced the limp Shiro on his back. Once Mizuki reached him, she helped the black wolf carry her husband back into the house. 

Once they got inside, they slid Shiro underneath the warm Kotatsu, making sure his head rested on one of the pillows. 

Izaya walked away from the Kotatsu and shook his fur, still wet from his struggle in the river and the rain. Once he was no longer dripping, he grabbed one of the folded towels and made his way back to the Kotatsu.

Kneeling down next to her husband, Mizuki gently petted his damp fur. She sniffled softly as she took the towel from Izaya, and began to gently wipe the mud from the white coat. "Where did you find him?" 

Izaya settled next to the Kotatsu, wrapping his tail against his side. "He was in the river where we caught that rabbit hanging onto a log. The water pulled him in, I had to jump in to save him." He shuddered at the memory. "He had a pretty bad gash on his side, too."

Mizuki grew panicked for a moment and lifted the Kotatsu. When she saw no wound on either side, she sent him a confused look. "I don't see any inury…" 

Izaya's ears rose excitedly and his tail wagged. "No! Not anymore! Oh wait until you hear, Mizuki, when I was in the forest I met a-"

Shiro's body suddenly jolted underneath the warm Kotatsu and he began to cough violently. The two werewolves jumped in shock, and hurried to his side. 

Mizuki pulled him out of the Kotatsu and gently massaged his sides as the white wolf spat out water. "It's okay, Shiro. You're safe now, it's okay, cough it up."

Once the werewolf finished coughing up the water and began to breath normally, he opened his tired grey eyes and brightened at the sight of his wife. "'zuki… What happened?" He croaked. 

"I'm not sure. But I know that you got injured and fell into the river. You would have drowned if it weren't for Izzy. He saved you." Mizuki kept rubbing his side as she looked towards Izaya.

At the mention of the black wolf, Shiro's eyes grew cold and his ears flattened against his head. He glared at Izaya with anger, and sneered. "I'm surprised he saved me, considering how he said we mean nothing to him."

That stung, but Izaya knew it was a fair hit. He whimpered and lowered his head next to Shiro. "I'm sorry Shiro. The things I said, the way I was acting… It was wrong. You were just trying to help me, but I hurt you instead. I was acting like a whiny pup. It wasn't fair to you when you were just trying to help me."

If Shiro was surprised by his apology, he didn't show it outright. He stayed silent, and waited to see what Izaya would say next. 

"Mizuki talked some sense into me. I promise you, I want to do better, I want to _be_ better. I want… I want to be part of your pack. I'll do whatever it takes to prove to you I'm willing to change." 

After a few moments of silence, Shiro softly asked,"You really saved me?" 

Izaya nodded hurriedly. "I did, I swear I did. I jumped in the water and brought you back here." 

Shiro looked confused. "If you were willing to risk your life to save me, then why were you being so cruel earlier?" 

Shame pooled in Izaya's gut. "It's because I was afraid. I spent most of my life feeling like I was an outsider, observing humans instead of interacting with them. When you two started to be kind to me, and wanted to be my friend… it scared me."

He sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't excuse my actions. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want you to know I'm going to be better from now on. You have my word."

Shiro's sharp grey gaze seemed to stare into Izaya's soul for several seconds, which made the young wolf shiver awkwardly. Was Shiro going to forgive him? Or would he be cast out as he probably deserved?

Then, despite all Izaya's doubts, the older wolf's eyes crinkled upward and he gave a soft nod. "I forgive you, Izaya."

"Really?!" Izaya asked hopefully.

"Really?!" Mizuki asked at the same time.

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Yes, really. I mean, I would be kind of a hypocrite to not understand why you acted that way. After all, I put Jinsei through hell for the same reasons. You see, when I was a kid-"

Mizuki quickly interrupted him, a blush on her cheeks. "Actually, dear, I already told him all about that." 

Shiro let out a shocked yelp. "What?! Mizuki! You told him everything?!" He asked, obviously desperately hoping his wife hadn't done what he was thinking. 

With a mischievous smirk on her face, Mizuki shrugged. "Maaaaaybe." 

"Even that time where I got caught by the dog catchers?!" 

Izaya let out a bark of laughter. "Well she didn't mention that part but I'd love to hear more about it!" 

The white wolf let out an embarrassed groan and dropped his paws against his snout in an attempt to hide his face. 

Mizuki and Izaya burst out laughing, Shiro eventually joining in. The moon in the leaky house improved greatly, and the three pack members felt lighter than they had in a long while. 

Once they had calmed their laughter, Mizuki and Izaya told Shiro about the rest of their adventure while searching for him. From catching his scent on the tree, to fighting the old man and chasing him off. 

"My arm still hurts, but I'm thankful that Izaya stopped him from hurting us worse than he already did," Mizuki explained while rubbing her bandaged wrist. "How did you get hurt, Shiro?"

Shiro shuffles further under the Kotatsu. "I.. I'm not sure. I was so frustrated that when I reached the bank of the river, I wanted to try and hunt to ease my nerves. But the river's flooding was bad… I think I got caught by a wave and hit a rock. I'm surprised Izaya managed to find me at all, because I have no recollection of anything after that."

"So you really did get hurt! Izaya said you did, but you don't have any wound on you…" She looked towards Izaya curiously. "Didn't you say you were going to explain that to me?"

With both werewolves watching him curiously, Izaya told them his tale of the large grey wolf who had healed Shiro's wound and saved him when Izaya thought there wasn't any hope. He told them about the grey wolf's stories of the moon, and how he taught Izaya how to use the same gift he had saved Shiro with.

When he finished his story, both his companions stared at him with disbelief. "Is that really true? I've never heard Jinsei mention anything like that." Shiro said after an awkward silence.

"I mean, I remember when I was younger he told me stories about the moon… but I thought those were just stories." Mizuki added as she stared down at her injured wrist. 

Izaya shook his head as he scooted towards Mizuki. "They're not stories and I can prove it." He motioned to her wrist. "Can I heal you?" 

Mizuki nodded her head and unwrapped the bandages, revealing the harsh cut and bruises that wrapped around her arm. Izaya winced, the cut looked even worse in human form. 

He gently placed his paw over the cut, and lifted his head in a howl. In the howl, he was asking the moon for her help in healing his packmate. Soon, he felt the power surge within him. He directed it to the wound underneath his paw, and felt the wound grow smaller and smaller until it vanished completely. 

When he finished his howl and pulled away, the wound was gone. Mizuki's arm looked as though nothing had ever happened. She stared at it in awe and spun her wrist around. "Whoa… it really works!" She looked at him excitedly. "And he taught you how to do it? Can he teach us??"

Izaya nodded, his tail wagging. "He said he would love to pass on what he knows. We can probably find him again before we go back next week, if you guys would like to." 

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, Shiro, let's do it! Let's learn more about our wolf side!" Mizuki asked her husband with her puppy dog eyes. "Please??"

Shiro chuckled. "Are you kidding? Of course we're going! There's no way we can pass this chance up! Jinsei is going to freak out when we tell him!" 

"YES!" Mizuki cheered as she jumped to her feet and ran towards the small kitchen. "It's time for some celebratory rabbit!" 

Izaya watched her with glee in his heart. He was happy that his packmates wanted to learn more about what the grey wolf had taught him, and he knew that his mysterious companion would be happy to pass on the old traditions to more of his kind. 

Next to him, with a gentle glow, Shiro changed into his human form and stretched out his sore muscles. He reached out and ruffled Izaya's fur between his ears. "Come on, little brother. Let's go before Mizuki finishes it without us."

Izaya jolted in surprise at the name, before he nodded and followed after his packmate in a happy trot. 

_Little brother… I like that._

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

On the eve of the next full moon, the old van parked outside of the bookstore in Shinjuku. After Shiro and Mizuki did a quick scan of the area, they opened the back door and let Izaya hop out of the truck. 

They trotted up to the back door, where Shiro knocked in a specific pattern. After a minute, the door opened and a smiling Jinsei was there to greet them. 

"Ah! You three, come in, come in! I was just about to close up!" 

The trio hurried down the stairs to the basement that the werewolves all hid in on the full moons. There were a few pack members in there already, since the full moon was tomorrow, but it was mostly empty. 

Once they were safely downstairs, Jinsei looked at the three of them and placed his hands together. "How did it go?" 

"Well… a lot happened," Mizuki began awkwardly, which made the two men nod in agreement. "But overall, Izaya did very well! He's a fast learner!" 

Jinsei's grin grew ever larger. "That's wonderful! Sometimes new pups have trouble adjusting, but I knew you were a smart one the moment Shiro brought you in!" 

He turned and motioned to the safehouse. "Since tomorrow is your last day before you can change back, you're welcome to stay here until then. After that, it's up to you if you want to stay in our pack or join a different one. Don't worry, you don't have to choose right away." 

Izaya shook his head. "It's okay, Jinsei. I already know. I would like to join your pack, if you guys will have me." 

Jinsei's smile remained as bright as ever. "Really? Wonderful! Well then, welcome to the pack, Izaya-kun." 

The old man left to close the store. Once he was gone, Mizuki squealed and hugged the black wolf rightly. "Yes! I knew you would stay, Izzy! I'm so happy that we're packmates!" 

After a small smile appeared on his face, Shiro nodded. "So am I, little brother."

\-- -- -- -- -- --

On the day of the full moon, in the safehouse under the bookstore, the werewolf pack stayed hidden for the night. 

Although a few pack members were still wary of Izaya, Shiro and Mizuki's friendship with him helped others open up to him. Strangely, Izaya didn't feel any desire to take advantage of his new pack's trust. Instead, he held it dear to his heart with the promise to never betray them.

He relaxed on a pile of pillows with several wolves piled around him in a giant cuddle pile. He was squished between Mizuki, who kicked in her sleep, and Shiro, who tended to snore loudly. 

Despite this, his sleep was restful and his soul was whole. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was truly happy.

Orihara Izaya was a werewolf, this was his pack, and he would protect them no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Izaya is back in Shinjuku/Ikebukuro! Next chapter, the canon characters will begin appearing as well. Thank you all for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for constantly updating this story! It's the only one I have ideas for at the moment ;-;
> 
> I will try and update other stories as well, but with college happening again it will be in between classes.
> 
> Thank you guys! Enjoy!

As soon as the sun began to rise, the pack’s forceful transformation ended and they were all able to turn back.  _ Finally _ , after a month trapped as a wolf, Izaya was once more human…. But he was also completely naked.

“This is so embarrassing...” Izaya grumbled from his spot in the basement, a blanket wrapped tightly around his unclothed body. His cheeks were bright pink, and his lips turned down in a petulant frown. 

Next to him, Mizuki was trying to comfort him. “Everyone’s first transformation is like this. Your body isn’t able to keep your clothes the first time because it’s busy adjusting you to having two forms.” She gave him a wide grin. “So don’t worry, Izzy! We’ve all gone through it!”

Jinsei let out a croaked chuckle from where he was by the staircase. “I remember how mine went! I was just a young man, barely fifteen when I spent my month as a wolf in the countryside with my friends! They were werewolves too, you see, so they taught me everything I knew…”

He heard Mizuki snort next to him. “Oh no, now you’ve done it,” She whispered in a low voice. “When Jinsei gets started he doesn’t stop!”

“And I was very concerned with school, I didn’t want to miss a single day! The school day started on the day I changed back! But how was I supposed to make it to the welcoming ceremony on time? Well, my friends helped me sneak into the school with my uniform, but when I changed back I didn’t have time to put it on before one of the students came into the supply closet!”

The old man let out a loud bark of laughter. “Word spreads quick! Let’s just say I didn’t have any luck with the ladies until college after that little incident!”

Izaya allowed himself to chuckle a little as well. “That is pretty embarrassing!” He looked around at the basement they were seated in. “At least I was in here when it happened, I suppose.”

Mizuki nodded in agreement, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. “Exactly! Now the only people who can make fun of you for it is us! Did you hear the little yelp that you made when you were human again? I swear you sounded like a pup!”

“ _ Mizuki! _ ” Jinsei admonished, but Izaya could see the smile threatening to appear on his face. 

“What about you, ‘zuki?” A new voice asked, making the three werewolves in the basement turn to the stairs where Shiro was descending, carrying a bundle of clothes. “I seem to remember one summer night when you just turned back… You were so shocked you tried to run to get clothes from my closet to wear, but you had been walking on four legs for a whole month so you fell over and cracked your forehead on the dresser. I think that you needed… four stitches? Five?”

His wife gasped and grabbed a pillow to throw at him. “Hey! You can’t tell him about that! That’s not fair!” 

Shiro was not threatened by the plush object she held, and sent her a satisfactory smirk. “Oh? Like when you told him all about the stupid shit I did as a teen? Was that fair, my dear?” 

Mizuki froze mid-throw at his mention of her hypocrisy. She quickly hugged the pillow to her chest and pressed her mouth against it, grumbling to herself.

The white haired man tossed the bundle towards Izaya, and it landed in his lap. “Here, I managed to find these. Some spare clothes from when I was as short as you.” He motioned his thumb to the door under the stairs. “That’s our spare bathroom, you can change there.”

So, Izaya awkwardly shuffled to the door with his new outfit. Once he got inside and turned on a light, he found a nice sized bathroom with tile floors and warm lighting. In front of the polished sink was a mirror. For the first time in a month, Izaya was able to see his human form.

He looked the same, but there were some minute differences. His sharp canines remained, even after his month as a wolf. His eyes looked nearly identical, but anyone purposefully looking would see the feral glow they seemed to have. But the most noticeable change of all were his scars.

His once unblemished face now had a single scar. It was about the width of his thumb, right underneath his eye, and it went from under his ear to right before his nose. He knew what it was from, when that damned farmer attacked him after Mizuki stepped in his trap.

He stepped back the slightest bit and found the other two scars. The one on his arm, where he was bitten, and two thick scratches right where his hips met his lower stomach. That damned pitchfork again.

Seeing the scars reminded him of the events soon after his battle with the old farmer: When he took Mizuki and Shiro to meet the grey wolf. Their mysterious mentor had explained that their healing, while powerful, had some limitations.

_ "Remember this well, all wolves have the power to heal. Some are stronger at it, some are weaker. But your power is also dependent on the moon. When there is no moon, your powers will be weaker. As the phases of the moon pass and she grows larger, as will the amount of power you can use." _

_ “As much as you would wish for it to be so, you cannot heal yourself,” He told them in the dark of the night. “Packs are important for our powers. You need packmates to heal you, and you need them for healing wounds that are more deadly. A wolf on their own may be able to heal a bad wound, but it takes longer and is more exhausting for the healer. With the help of a pack, you can heal faster and heal better.” _

_ Izaya had tilted his head at that. “But if that is the case, then how did you heal Shiro’s wound all by yourself? It was horrible!”  _

_ The grey wolf let out a small chuckle. “You may not have known at that moment, pup, but you helped with my healing. You were his pack member, and your presence alone saved him from a long and painful process. Your own power did that. I was quite impressed, you have the makings of a powerful healer.” _

In the present day, a blush dusted Izaya’s cheek at the compliment. Once again it seemed so ironic to him. He danced around Ikebukuro causing chaos and ruining lives, and now he was a healer? Bizarre.

Unfortunately, his own battle wounds had already healed by the time he was able to bring his packmates to the grey wolf. Although he knew that it would be hard to explain these to anyone who knew him when he was human, he didn’t particularly mind the scars. It was a reminder of when he defended Mizuki, his packmate and sister.

With a happy sigh, Izaya changed into the clothes Shiro offered him. They fit pretty well. A simple white shirt with a black leather jacket and light blue pants. The shoes were a little too big, but he could bear it until he got back home.

Izaya folded the blanket and emerged from the bathroom. He was led upstairs by his packmates, who walked him to the back door. 

“Now remember if you ever need anything or just want somewhere to read, my bookstore is always open,” Jinsei kindly reminded him.

Mizuki nodded in agreement as she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, with phone numbers written on it, and gave it to him. “Yeah! We don’t just meet up once a month. We do stuff together all the time! You’d better be there, Izzy! I’ll call you over and over until you’re forced to show up!”

Shiro reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately. “Don’t be a stranger, little brother,” He ordered as his eyes looked at Izaya’s outfit. “And you know what, keep the jacket. It looks good on you.”

The informant felt the heat return to his cheeks. “I will, thank you.” He promised. With one more wave goodbye, he headed out of the alleyway to make his way home.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

As he walked down the familiar streets of Shinjuku, he took a moment to breathe. Now that he was in tune with his enhanced senses, the sounds and smells weren’t as intimidating as they once were. He could pull apart different scents and hear conversations from a mile away, but it didn’t phase him.

His mind returned to Mizuki’s excited words, and Izaya felt happiness in his heart. They wanted him to come, they wanted to hang out with him. It felt amazing to know he would get to spend time with people who cared about him, his very own pack. Everytime he thought about it, that warm feeling in his chest returned. He wouldn’t trade his new family for anything.

Izaya made it back to his apartment around eight in the morning. He awkwardly explained to the woman in the lobby that smelled of strawberry hard candies that he had locked himself out of his apartment and needed a new keycard. She gave him a firm chastising before giving him one, and he was finally able to go home.

As soon as he entered the familiar apartment, he was greeted by a layer of dust that made him sneeze and the smell of rotting food. “Ugh, disgusting!” He quickly covered his sensitive nose with his shirt collar. “Why didn’t Namie keep this place clean?”

When his eyes landed on his broken computer and desk, he sobered. “Hmph… Well of course she wouldn’t. I vanish for a month without warning? Everyone probably thinks I got kidnapped or murdered!” He scratched his cheek thoughtfully. “Well, I suppose it is a quarter true. I  _ almost _ got murdered.”

He put himself to work cleaning up the messy apartment. He threw away all the rotted groceries, leaving his fridge nearly bare, dusted everything, and threw away the damaged remains of his computer and desk. Thank goodness I had everything backed up the day before I changed.

When everything was clean and his sensitive nose was no longer stinging at the smell, he made his way upstairs to change into some of his own clothes. He had several other fur coats just like the one he lost during his first transformation. Although that one was a favorite, he would get used to the others easily enough.

He put on his usual attire and looked at himself in his full length mirror. A frown graced his lips. His outfit did not give him the usual feelings it used to. It was his trademark outfit… But the Izaya in the present and the Izaya from a month ago were very different people.

The informant shed the outfit as if it disgusted him. He looked through his closet for a few more moments before his eyes caught sight of the pile of clothes Shiro gave him. He knelt down and picked up the leather jacket. That warm feeling returned to his chest as he caught the scent of his pack member that lingered. Shiro had said he could keep the jacket. It was a gift from his pack member, a gift from his brother. 

Izaya had promised Shiro and Mizuki he would be better. After such a promise, he knew that he couldn’t go back to the way things were a month ago, he didn’t want to fall back into his old ways. He was a different person, someone more genuine. 

He stood up and gently set the jacket out on the bed and went back to his closet. He dug around until he found something that would compliment the new clothing. A red flannel, one he hadn’t worn in a long time. 

With a satisfied nod, Izaya put on the flannel along with the leather jacket from his packmate and his black pants and shoes. It was much different than his usual attire, but it felt just right. He smiled at his reflection, feeling more sure in himself than he had in a long while. 

After he was all dressed, he cleaned up the rest of his clothing, put it back in his closet, and headed back down the stairs.

As he descended, his mind raced through the large list of things he needed to do now that he was back home.  _ I’ve been gone for a month. I need to contact everyone so they know I'm not dead. But I need to come up with a convincing story about where I was first. _ He looked at his empty desk.  _ I also need a new computer if I'm going to get that job done for Shiki. I can contact him tomorrow, that should give me enough time to come up with a fake story about where I've been. _

The sound of knock on the door reached his sensitive ears and interrupted his speeding thoughts. He lifted his head and looked towards the door. Instinctively, he twitched his nose and smelt the air. But he couldn't catch a scent from behind the door.

Cautiously, Izaya walked over to the heavy door, and opened it up. As he saw who was on the other side, he felt his heart speed up as vicious anxiety overtook him.  _ Oh shit… _

Behind the door was none other than Shiki and Akabayashi. His boss had a deep frown and anger in his eyes, while his companion merely looked amused by the whole situation. 

His heart beat against his chest as he stepped backwards. "A-ah Shiki-san! Akabayashi-san! I wasn't expecting you!"

While Shiki's face remained sour, Akabayashi just smiled and walked in, his cane clacking against the wooden floors.

"Ah we were just passing by when we got a call from our men. Imagine how surprised we were when he said our missing informant suddenly reappeared after a month! We just had to come see for ourselves!" Akabayashi cheerfully announced. 

Shiki nodded in agreement as he made himself comfortable on the couch. "And I am  _ very  _ interested in what could have made you vanish on me after I just gave you an extremely important job." 

Izaya shut the door behind him as he moved to join the two Awakusu-kai executives. "I-I'm sorry, Shiki-san. I didn't mean to suddenly vanish like that…"

The executive gave him an odd look. "I don't want your apologies. That doesn't explain anything to me, Orihara. Where were you? I want the truth." 

Shiki was a perceptive man, Izaya knew this for a fact. After all, that was the only reason that he was willing to work with Izaya when he was fresh out of high school. He could see the promise of a good informant. 

His perceptiveness was already putting Izaya in danger. He saw the odd look the older man was giving him. He was confused by Izaya's behavior. 

He wanted the truth, but Izaya knew that telling him the truth was impossible. Even if he  _ could _ , there's no way Shiki would believe him. But lying to an Awakusu executive was a dangerous choice… _ Damn it… I don't have any other choice. _

Izaya dusted off his old facade, and let his sadistic grin climb on his face. "Oh, it was just awful Shiki-san! The dog bite got infected. I was so sick, I could barely think straight! I was lucky I made it to the hospital in time! My lovely humans helped me there, that’s why I love them so much!" 

Shiki's odd look disappeared and Izaya felt relief wash over him.  _ There we go, he thinks he's dealing with the old Izaya, that should calm his suspicions a little.  _

"The dog bite is the wound on your arm from a month ago, correct?" Shiki asked him. 

Izaya nodded as his right hand squeezed over the left arm, where his werewolf bite scar was. "That doctor cleaned it well, but that dog must have had some sort of disease!" He made a sad noise and held his cheek in his right hand. "That's why I hate dogs. Nothing but flea-bitten mongrels!"

Akabayashi tilted his head and raised his hand. "Then how about your other scar, Izaya? The one under your eye? Where'd that come from?" 

The informant broker thought quickly. "The hospital wasn't safe for little old me, Akabayashi-san! I have too many enemies, they tracked me down quickly!" He waved his hand dismissively. "I took care of him easily, but after that I had to disappear for a while and lose them. I had to leave Tokyo and find another doctor to help with the bite, it only got worse after that."

He leaned back and crossed his legs, giving a carefree smile. "But I'm back now! Although, I will need to get a replacement computer before I can work on that job that you gave me.” 

Shiki’s eyes remained on Izaya for an uncomfortably long time, to the point that the informant had to struggle not to squirm underneath the heavy gaze. The tension in the room was so thick he could probably cut through it with a switchblade.

Then, just as Izaya was starting to panic, the older man removed his piercing gaze with a sigh. “I see… Well, luckily for you the gang that has been squatting in our territory still hasn’t moved. They are very cocky.”

Akabayashi nodded in agreement. “We’ve tried to get rid of them without your information, but they seem to disappear anytime our men show up to try and chase them out. Your... _ covert  _ tactics would probably be better for this.”

The informant nodded quickly. “Don’t worry, Shiki-san. I can have Celty grab the parts while I pick up a computer. If everything works out, I can get started within a few days!”

“Yes… If you don’t disappear again…” Shiki sighed and stood up. “Update me  _ often  _ on your progress.” 

He motioned for his companion to follow him as he left the apartment without another word. The other Awakusu-kai executive was more cheerful as they waved away, waving goodbye as he opened the door.

“While we’d love to stay and chat, we must be on our way. Important meetings, you know.” Akabayashi looked at him as he held onto the edge of the door, and gave him a smirk. “Welcome back, Izaya.”

It wasn’t until the door shut and the lock clicked that Izaya dropped his facade. He flopped face first on the couch and groaned into the cushion.  _ I should have expected that he would be watching this place!  _ He flipped over and ran a hand through his hair. _ I had hoped that I would have had more time to make up a convincing lie, but I guess that’s the one I have to go with now. _

He committed the lie to memory. If anyone else were to ask where he was, he had to make sure his answer perfectly resembled the one Shiki gave him. If his boss ever heard anything different, Izaya had no doubt he would quickly realize it was all fabricated.

Perhaps if he had been a different person he would have told his boss the truth, but he was Orihara Izaya. Even though his packmates helped him become a better person, it didn’t change the fact that he had many enemies. Enemies that would do everything they could to destroy him. If they found out about his pack… They would do whatever they could to hurt them if it meant Izaya would be hurt too.

At the mention of his pack, Izaya’s mind wandered. He thought about the job Shiki had just given him, and the day he got bit. He had been investigating the same area, when he got attacked by a big canine. There was no doubt in his mind, that was a werewolf… A werewolf who had been in chains… A werewolf who was shot with a tranquilizer and dragged away by two humans.

Izaya remembered that stormy day when he had rescued Shiro. Before he had said those cruel words and the white wolf had run off, Mizuki had revealed to Izaya that many wolves were going missing… Could this be related?

That was why he had been so relieved to know he could still do the same job from a month ago. He needed to see that wolf again, to see if she was in danger. He would be able to understand her now, even if she was in wolf form.

But he couldn’t tell his pack, not until he had enough evidence to prove or disprove his theory. He was very lucky that they hadn’t moved in the time he had been gone, he needed to get his parts as quick as possible, before he lost his only lead.

Reinvigorated, Izaya grabbed one of his many phones, and quickly wrote out a message to the best courier in all of Ikebukuro. 

**[Celty, I’m back. I have an important job for you, I’ll provide more details when you’re ready.]**

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

In the black, indiscreet car, Shiki and Akabayashi sat silently. The red haired man glanced at his companion as he tapped his hand against his cane.

“Well, Izaya-kun seemed well,” Akabayashi casually stated.

Shiki, ever the silent type, did not respond.

Akabayashi shifted in his seat and pointed to his missing eye. “Do you think he’s trying to compete with me in terms of facial scars? Because I have to say, mine looks better. It has a better story behind it too.”

Shiki folded his hands in front of him. “Your story is only better because it isn’t a total lie,” He grunted in his usual, calm tone.

The redhead raised his eyebrow. “Oh?” He asked, gleeful that he managed to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted. “You think Izaya was lying?”

“His story is believable.” Shiki tapped the gold ring on his finger. “I probably would have believed it if it weren’t for the way he was acting. It was a subtle difference, but it was there. You saw it too, right?”

Akabayashi hummed and shook his head. “Not really. He did seem a little caught off guard when we showed up. He was pretty jumpy, but I would be too after a bad infection and getting attacked at the hospital.” He looked back towards the window. “Maybe the kid finally got a reality check.”

His comment made Shiki snort in amusement, but he quickly tried to cover it up. “We can only hope.” He shook his head. “It would be nice to work with an informant that doesn’t act like a child on a power trip.”

The car came to a stop, and their men opened the doors silently. Shiki remained where he was for a few moments, quietly contemplating what his companion’s words.  _ Maybe Akabayashi’s right… I’m looking too far into this.  _ He climbed out of the car and towards the art gallery.  _ I doubt anything is going on. Izaya will probably be causing problems within a few days, just like he always does. I have more important things to worry about. _

He may not have admitted those thoughts aloud, but Akabayashi could tell his partner wasn’t as focused on Izaya as he was a few minutes ago. 

Despite what he had told Shiki, he had easily seen through Izaya’s quickly constructed facade. Even when the informant had started on his usual spiel of how much he loved humans, it seemed forced… As if the informant’s heart wasn’t truly in it. 

  
Something had happened to Orihara Izaya. But unlike Shiki, Akabayashi knew  _ exactly  _ what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Please comment and kudos, I love reading them and it makes me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am spoiling you guys with this story, haha! I just got a lot of ideas for this one! I can't help it, wolves are some of my favorite animals! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Shizuo took a long drag from his cigarette as he stared up at the sky, the anger he had been holding inside of himself finally escaping as he exhaled a puff of smoke. The silent presence of Celty next to him was comforting. It was nice to see her after having a rough, stressful day of work.

“Thanks for letting me vent.” He lowered the cigarette, his fourth one in less than an hour. “It’s been a really difficult month. I thought that the flea disappearing would make me calm down but… I’ve only felt worse.”

Celty tapped on her PDA for a moment, and held it in front of him. **[Are you worried about him?]** She asked.

Shizuo instantly scoffed, and then stopped as several conflicting emotions hit him. “No… Yes… Ugh!” He crushed the cigarette in two with his fingers. “I don’t know! It’s just… weird to think that he may be in danger.”

**[What do you mean?]**

The man in the bartender outfit shook his pack of cigarettes and pulled a new one out. “Izaya may be a pest, but he’s a resilient pest,” He begrudgingly admitted,”He fights with me all the time, and usually gets away without a single scratch. If he really got attacked or kidnapped, it would have to be something pretty intimidating for him to just vanish.”

He rolled the stick in between his fingers. “...And even if he’s an asshole, he’s only human. He doesn’t have insane strength like me, he isn’t a Dullahan like you… He could get injured and die easily… But it’s weird to think that he could even get hurt. You’ve seen it too, he’s always acting high and mighty, like he’s invincible… But I know he’s not.”

Shizuo didn’t admit to her the third thing that he’d been bottling up. Without his usual chases with Izaya to wear himself out, it was a lot easier for him to get riled up by pesky clients. In less than a month, he’d raked up three times the property damage he normally did. His boss was _not_ pleased, but Shizuo didn’t know how to stop himself from continuing down his destructive path.

Celty waited for a moment to see if he would continue talking. When he didn’t, she reached down to type another message. At the same time, the PDA in her hand buzzed. She tapped the screen a few times, and Shizuo saw her body freeze up.

“What is it?” The debt collector worriedly queried. 

The Dulluahan seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if she was worried to show him what was on the phone. Her shoulders eventually slumped in what seemed like a sigh, and she turned the PDA around to face him.

**[Celty, I’m back. I have an important job for you, I’ll provide more details when you’re ready.]**

Instantly, all the words that Shizuo had just admitted to his friend were cast aside. He growled angrily and read the message over and over. “He’s back?! And he’s already up to his old tricks!” He crushed his cigarette box in his hand. “That stupid flea!”

Celty held up a hand, motioning for him to calm down. **[Shizuo, did you forget everything you just told me? I don’t even know what he wants. Maybe it’s just a simple courier job for Shiki.]**

Shizuo rolled his eyes. Celty was too kind, always trying to see the good in people where there was none. “Well ask him for details, I bet it’s something like kidnapping someone for him that supid fucking flea…”

The fae shook her head in exasperation, and tapped out a reply to Izaya. A few moments after, Izaya sent her a speedy reply. She read it over, and then held out her PDA again. Shizuo was quick to read it, searching for any of the flea’s evil plans.

**[Shiki-san wants me to hack cameras. I need certain parts for that, but I have business to take care of and can’t get them myself. Here’s the part list and where you can meet me to get your payment…]**

Shizuo didn’t understand any of the things after that, but he was already angry. “He’s probably off tricking people while you do all the work! That damned flea. As soon as I see him, I’m going to kill him!”

Celty shook her head again, she was very used to Shizuo refusing to see reason when it came to Izaya. Although she felt similar distrust for the fur-coat wearing man, a job was a job and Izaya always paid well. 

**[Listen, Shizuo, I have to go do this job. I’ll tell you how it goes later, okay?]** She motioned at the pitiful cigarette box still crushed in his deadly grip. **[And stop smoking so many of those! Shinra said it isn’t good for you, remember?]**

“I know… I know…” Shizo muttered, an embarrassed blush dusting his cheeks. “Good luck with the job, Celty. Please be careful.”

The Dulluhan gave him one last nod before she sped away, Shooter’s haunting neigh echoing through the city as she vanished around a corner. 

Shizuo watched her go, and then looked down at the crushed box. With a heavy sigh, he threw it in the nearest trash can and stalked away as his depleted rage began to build up all over again. _That stupid flea! If he tries to step foot in Ikebukuro again, I’ll make him wish he stayed away for good!_

_Kill, kill, kill, kill...._

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

It wasn’t that hard for Celty to find the parts Izaya had requested. She’d had similar requests from him before, and sometimes got that request from other people like Shiki or his men. It didn’t happen often, but she knew what to do.

It was a little awkward inside the store, as everyone regarded her oddly. She ignored their glances and slid a paper with the parts over to the store clerk. She was thankful that he seemed to know what they were, because she had no clue.

While she waited, the many stares thrown her way began to be thrown her way made her uncomfortable. She scratched at her neck and tapped at her wrist, wishing that the clerk could work faster so that she could leave.

Finally, _finally_ she was able to grab the bag of parts and speed off on her bike. She knew she had to meet up with Izaya in Shinjuku soon, but she still took the long way around to try and calm herself down.

Even though she had become more comfortable with herself since the Dollars meeting where she revealed herself to the while city, and discovering the secret Shinra had kept from her about her head, there were still times that the city left her feeling lonely.

The city knew her now, and yet she was still treated like some strange zoo creature to be gawked at. Sometimes the attention felt so exhausting that she wished she could go back in time and stop herself, returning to being the urban legend that nobody paid mind to except in passing.

Celty was proud of who she was, but she was still the only one of her kind in Ikebukuro. All the humans around her, even Shinra, didn't understand what it was like to be otherworldly. Shizuo was the closest, but no matter how strong her best friend was, he was still another human.

_It really feels like we’re both alone in this world, Shooter…_ She thought as her hand gently rubbed the motorcycle. Her faithful steed let out a sad whinny, obviously sensing her troubled thoughts.

After an hour of aimless cruising, when the sun had set over the skyscrapers, she finally brought herself to the agreed upon meeting place. Along a highway, leaning against the guardrail, was the informant she begrudgingly worked for… But he looked odd. 

That familiar fur coat he wore was gone, replaced by a leather jacket and red plaid fabric underneath. His eyes did not scan the road for her, but instead remained focused on the moon high in the sky. It was strange, Celty noted, how the light of the moon seemed to shine down on him as if he had been blessed by it… He seemed so peaceful...

Her motorcycle let out a haunting sound as she slowed to a stop next to him, Izaya’s eyes tore away from the moon and that tranquil expression was replaced with an expression she more easily recognized; a sardonic and wicked smirk.

“Ah! My favorite courier!” He said cheerfully as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked back up at the moon. “It’s a lovely night, isn’t it? The moon is always so pretty. I bet she would look even prettier if the light pollution allowed us to see the stars.”

Celty remained still on her motorcycle and didn’t answer, keeping her focus on the handlebars of her motorcycle. _Where is he going with this?_

His red gaze turned to her, with eyes that Celty almost didn’t recognize. “Are the stars easy to see in Ireland?” He answered his own question with a shrug. “Ah, you probably have no clue, I bet all that is lost with wherever your head is.”

A burst of sadness and anger ran through Celty. Why did he have to be such an asshole? She had hoped that his month long disappearance would do something to him, maybe give him a little humanity, but apparently that had been too much to hope for.

She held out the bag with a rushed hand, she wanted him to take it and go away so she could feel hurt in peace. But as she finally put her full focus on Izaya, something made her freeze up. 

A strange feeling overwhelmed her senses. It was like she suddenly gained a rush of adrenaline, and it felt as though her heart was pounding despite her not needing one. This feeling, it called out to her, but she didn’t know what it meant. 

Izaya seemed to notice her strange and sudden hesitation. “Eh? Celty? Is everything okay in that cloud of smoke in your helmet?” He asked in a mocking tone.

But his words didn’t get to her this time, she was too focused on the strange feeling. Yes, yes she knew it was because of Izaya… But what was it trying to tell her? She couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but she knew one thing for certain.

**[Something is different about you.]**

Izaya read over the words on her screen. She carefully watched his face for any sign of a reaction, but the damn informant kept his expression perfectly blank. When he finally answered, it wasn’t what she was hoping for.

His smirk returned, as he grabbed the parts bag and gracefully brushed non-existent dust off the jacket. “It’s the outfit, right? I knew it would draw some curiosity, I just couldn’t resist!” He shoved his hands in the pockets. “Red really is my color, you know-”

**[No! It’s not the outfit!]** Although that had confused her when she first saw him. **[When I looked at you, I got this odd feeling. It feels like there’s something different, it’s like I’m trying to reach out to discover what it is!]**

She felt confused, desperate to know the truth. It was a feeling she wanted to understand, because it reminded her of kinship, something she never had before and wanted so badly to feel. Could he tell her? He was an informant after all, maybe he knew?

But the young man threw away her hopes without a second of hesitation. “Oh? Maybe it’s just your head calling out to you, begging you to find it! Help me, help me!” He chuckled at his own horrible joke, and then sobered. “Or does it not care? Maybe it has a mind of its own, and has given up on you… Maybe it feels like you abandoned it without a second thought…”

Izaya’s cruel, hateful words sent a spike of pain through her, like someone stabbed her with a knife and twisted it over and over. She shuddered in anger and then screeched away on her motorcycle without even a thought about her payment. 

When she looked back, all she saw was that bastard smirking at her from afar. She quickly sped up and flew around the counter, Shooter’s mournful neigh echoing her pained heart. 

If she had looked back just one more time, she would have been able to see the mocking expression turn into one of loathing and guilt…

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

“Ah, Celty! Welcome home! How did the job for Orihara-kun go-”

Celty cut off her boyfriend’s cheerful greeting by throwing herself towards him and pulling the underground doctor into a tight, almost crushing hug. She rested her helmet against his shoulder, and allowed herself to shake.

“Oh? Celty? I-Is everything okay? Did that police officer try to chase you down again?” Shinra’s hands rubbed against her back in a comforting manner. “Because if he did, I promise you I will report him!”

Celty shook her helmet against his shoulder and held on for a few more seconds before finally she pulled away and shakily typed on her PDA. She leaned against Shinra for comfort as she handed it over to him.

**[It’s Izaya. Shinra, he’s such a horrible person! He feels different, I think something changed while he was away. But when I asked him about it, he just started mocking me about my head! He… He said that maybe it didn’t even care about me because I abandoned it! Why is he so cruel?!]**

Her beloved looked conflicted, like he wanted to defend his friend but without insulting Celty. “Ah, well… That wasn’t very kind of Orihara-kun to say.

Shinra’s calm demeanor only furthered her anger. **[Why aren’t you upset about this?! He was hurting my feelings for his own sick kicks! Shizuo was right, he may be human but he is a monster!]**

“I’m sure Orihara-kun didn’t mean anything by it. He’s been that way since we were in middle school, Celty. It’s just who he is,” Shinra tried to tell her.

**[That doesn’t make it right!]**

“I know, Celty.”

**[Why are you defending him?!]**

“I know it seems weird for me to defend him, but I have to. He’s my only friend, I know him better than anyone else, and he’s more fragile than you think.” Shinra sighed as he squeezed Celty’s hand in his own, adoring their closeness. “He has a brittle heart, filling it with love or betrayal may shatter it, that’s why he avoided it from the start.”

Celty felt her anger settling a little as she listened to Shinra, tilting her helmet in curiosity. **[You think it’s possible for Izaya to genuinely care about people?]** She questioned.

Shinra gave a gentle nod. “I think that somewhere, deep down, he has the potential to. But if he was offered the chance, he would probably fight against it and try all of his old tricks in fear of heartbreak.” He chuckled. “I think the only reason I managed to become his friend is because I was persistent enough to break through those layers.”

It gave Celty a moment of thought. She had told Izaya something was different about him. Perhaps she had scared him in the way Shinra had suggested, and that was why he lashed out so violently.

**[Now that you mention it… He seemed more aggressive than usual. Most of the time when he says stuff like that, he’s subtle. But this time… He just insulted me straight to my face. It almost seemed like he was trying to get me to leave.]**

Shinra let a wide grin appear on his face. “See? I knew it! He was probably caught off guard by your concern.” He dramatically threw a hand in the air. “But don’t worry, Celty! You don’t have to worry about Orihara-kun! Focus on me, and I’ll protect you and adore you for all eternity!”

His playful and lovey-dovey attitude was what she needed to hear to help her feel better. She didn’t even try to punch him or elbow him in the ribs. She just held up her PDA with a shake of her helmet. **[You’re an idiot.]**

Shinra’s surprisingly wise words had helped her a little bit, but she still had conflicting feelings towards the raven. He had been cruel, but was it for the reason the Shinra was thinking? Maybe… But then she recalled that strange feeling that ran through her when she focused on him.

Perhaps the underground doctor was partly right, but Izaya didn’t verbally attack her until she mentioned the strange feeling to him. Although she wasn’t sure what it was, she had a sneaking suspicion that the informant knew _exactly_ what it was. 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Three Days Later

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Despite her suspicions towards Izaya and what he might know, she couldn’t bring herself to confront him. Even if Shinra was right and the informant’s words were hollow and being used to push her away, they had still hurt her and she needed time to repair her damaged pride.

She did a few jobs the first two days to make up for the money she forgot to get from Izaya before speeding off. On the third day, she had worked her way through the list of jobs and decided to take a day off for herself.

Celty thought about staying home, but Shinra had many patients that day thanks to a rough gang fight. Their staring and constant bickering made it hard to relax, so she decided to take Shooter out for a ride.

She sped around the city, enjoying the sights and sounds from afar. She watched the musicians on the street, enjoyed the smell of the street food she couldn’t taste, and watched the sun rise higher in the sky.

Along the way, she found Shizuo and Tom walking together through the streets. Shizuo sent her a small wave, but that was all he could give her before he turned to catch up with Tom. Celty felt relief, he had seemed to be calmer since their conversation.

She thought about mentioning her and Izaya’s interaction and the strange feeling, but ultimately decided against it. She didn’t want her friend to kill Izaya before she got any answers out of him.

Eventually as hours dragged on and night fell, she grew tired of riding and decided to head back home. She sped along the empty highway and looked up at the sky. The moon wasn’t full anymore, but it still looked beautiful.

As she turned her gaze back down to the street, a jolt of terror ran through her as she saw a black down running right in front of her motorcycle. She grabbed her motorcycle and tried to screech to a stop.

The black dog yelped in terror as it jumped out of the way. She felt her wheel hit the dog’s back leg as she sped by in her attempt to stop. She finally managed to make the motorcycle stop rolling, a tire streak left behind her. 

Once she was sure the bike wasn’t going anywhere, she hopped off and ran over to the dog. But as she got closer, she realized that there was no way that could be a dog… It was too big, too feral-looking. It had to be a wolf, she recognized it from the vague memories of Ireland before the wolves went extinct.

The beast was large, with thick fur as dark as her shadows and shiny white teeth. He limped slightly as it moved back towards the city and away from the highway. At the sound of her footsteps, the wolf turned to Celty and she was greeted by striking red eyes.

As soon as she saw those eyes, the adrenaline and the strange feeling returned. She froze in shock as her eyes began to connect the dots. The wolf wasn’t just some random wild animal, it was…

_Izaya?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please comment and kudos, I love reading them and it makes me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I am continuing to spoil you guys, just like you asked! Thank you guys so much for your comments! They really give me so much happiness!
> 
> Enjoy!

_ Izaya?! _

Those red eyes were suddenly with panic, and that’s when Celty knew she was right. The black wolf turned and limped away a fast pace, towards the alleyways of the city to try and escape from her. 

Celty quickly chased after him before he could get away, her hand catching his scruff and pulling him backwards. The wolf yelped and struggled against her hold, but he couldn’t do much thanks to her strong grip.  _ Don’t you dare run away from me, Izaya! I want to know what the hell is going on! _

Izaya’s struggles suddenly stopped, as his wide eyes settled on her. He let out a series of barks, but Celty somehow knew exactly what they meant. “Eh?! You can talk?!” He exclaimed in disbelief.

The Dulluahan was so shocked that she dropped the wolf and stumbled backwards. She pointed at herself.  _ You can understand me?!  _

“You can understand  _ me?! _ ” Izaya echoed her question with his own shock. Once again it sounded like he was yapping and barking, and she still understood it perfectly. 

_ I can! But I… I’ve never been able to do this before!  _ She shifted anxiously on her legs, desperate for an explanation.  _ What is going on?! _

The black wolf tilted his head as he looked at her in awe. “I… I don’t…” He shook his fur out. “I don’t understand… Could this be because we are both supernatural creatures?” 

_ Supernatural… _ Celty thought in confusion as her hands shook against her chest.  _ What do you mean supernatural? You’re… But you were a human! _

Izaya looked like he might try to run away again, his red eyes filled with conflicting emotions. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed and shook his head. “I’m not human anymore, Celty-san.”

As she watched, he stood proudly and raised his head up to the sky. The moon’s light seemed to shine on his fur protectively, like the loving embrace of a mother. He seemed to grow relaxed from the light, and returned his gaze to her.

“I’m a werewolf.”

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Once the duo calmed down enough to think straight, they quickly moved off the road and into a secluded area of the alleyways where they couldn’t be seen. Celty leaned Shooter against the wall and leaned against him. 

She looked towards the ground in front of her where Izaya was. He was still in the form of a wolf as he gently lifted and set down his back paw a few times. She saw him wince slightly the first time, and eventually managed to work through the pain.

After that he sat down with his tail twitching nervously behind him. She still couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She almost wanted to pinch herself to see if it was a dream. But the strange feeling deep in her gut told her it wasn’t.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a long moment, the tension between them too thick for either of them to break through. She slowly tapped Shooter’s side, as she tried to figure out which of the thousands of questions she should begin with.

_ So… You’re a werewolf?  _ Celty questioned, and instantly felt like an idiot as she recalled that Izaya had outright told her that just minutes earlier.

But instead of mocking her or making a cruel joke, he looked mildly amused as he nodded his head. 

The dullahan felt a mixture of relief and confusion at his behavior. She made sure to think a little harder about her next question.  _ How long have you been… Not human? _

“About a month now.” He lifted his good leg and scratched an itch on his side. “Although I was bitten about a week before that. I didn’t change for the first time until the full moon, and then I was trapped in my wolf form for a month.”

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  _ Oh! So that’s why you were missing! You were stuck like this for a whole month?! I thought it was only on the full moon? _

Izaya nodded his head. “It is, but the first time we change, we are a wolf for a month so our bodies have time to adapt and change. Going from fully human to a supernatural creature doesn’t happen overnight, sadly.”

Celty nodded her helmet.  _ That makes sense… _ A thought suddenly occurred to her. _ Is that why I got that weird feeling? I know it had to come from you, because it happened both times I saw you! _

Her wolf companion let out a sigh and flattened his ears. “Yes it was from me. It’s a power many of us have, the ability to sense when others like us are near.” He turned his guilty red eyes to her. “And… About that… I need to apologize to you, Celty.”

The courier felt her confusion only grow more intense. Izaya wanted to apologize to her? Why? Was this another one of his tricks or was he finally being genuine with her? She desperately hoped it was the latter.

“When you asked me about that a few days ago, I got scared. I wasn't prepared to be caught so quickly… So I said those awful things to push you away…" He explained.

"I shouldn’t have acted that way, and I shouldn’t have been such an asshole.” He turned away from her, seemingly too ashamed to continue looking at her. 

“But that's not the only thing I have to apologize for. The way I hurt you and Shinra, the way I manipulated people all my life. I was always cruel, and I  _ never _ should have acted the way I did, it was wrong. You don’t have to forgive me, but just know that I am really sorry…”

If Celty had her head, her jaw would have dropped. She had been expecting a fake apology, one riddled with mocking and sarcastic barbs about her and her missing head. The feeling the apology left her feeling happy, like she was finally able to stand up straight after carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Despite how good she felt, she still wasn’t sure how to act around this new Izaya. She shifted against Shooter, and forced herself to speak.  _ I don’t think I can forget the things you did, Izaya… But I can forgive you. _

“Really?” Izaya exclaimed hopefully, a surprised expression on his face.

Celty nodded her helmet.  _ If you had apologized to me before… I think I would have thought it was a trick. But it seems like you’re actually trying to change, and that’s why I forgive you. _

The large wolf’s tail began wagging at a surprisingly fast rate. “Thank you, Celty, that means a lot.” He gave her a determined look, which was rather hard to take seriously when combined with the tail. “I will keep working on becoming a better person, for you and my pack.”

_ Your pack? _ Celty asked curiously. 

Izaya shuffled his paws in front of him and nodded. "Yes. They found me when I first changed and helped me understand what it meant to be a wolf. I've only known them for a month but they've always been there for me. It's because of them that I was able to change for the better. They're not just my pack, they're my family." 

Izaya's voice was filled with such genuine love and admiration that Celty couldn't help but be in awe of it. He truly cared about them, and he found that amazing. 

A few moments later, the implication of the pack reached her and then she received a burst of excitement.  _ Wait, so there are other werewolves too?! Does that mean there are other supernaturals too?! _

“Yes!” Izaya matched her eagerness with his own. “Werewolves, vampires, gnomes, druids, nymphs, they all exist!”

Celty felt an explosion of happiness.  _ Then… Then that means I'm not alone after all!  _ She looked towards the werewolf.  _ Oh, Izaya! This is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me! Do you think I could meet your pack some day?  _

Izaya hummed thoughtfully. "Well I would have to ask my pack leader… But when he hears that you are a dullahan, I’m sure he’d love to meet you. He runs an antique bookstore, and loves meeting different supernatural creatures. Maybe he has something in his shop about other dullahans!”

_ You think there could be more of me? _ She asked the werewolf hopefully.

“Hm… I don’t see why not. If there can be dozens of other otherworldly creatures like werewolves and vampires, I’m sure there’s other dullahans out there.” Izaya said with absolute certainty. “I can help you look! I am an informant after all, one of the best!”

Celty clapped her hands together excitedly.  _ I would love that! Thank you so much, Izaya! _

The werewolf wagged his tail even faster, his eyes alight with excitement. “It’s the least I could do for my favorite courier!”

They remained in that happy bubble for a moment longer before Izaya suddenly froze. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air, a panicked expression overcoming his face. He hurriedly scurried around Celty and squished himself in between Shooter and the wall, almost knocking the Dullahan off the bike.  _ Izaya! What are you doing?! _

“Kill, kill, kill, kill!”

Celty looked away from the hiding wolf and found herself face to face with her best friend, Heiwajima Shizuo, But instead of the usual happiness that gave her, she was left with a spike of panic.

_ Oh, Shizuo! What are you- _

“Your PDA!” Izaya whispered from behind the bike.

She sent a quick thanks to Izaya as she pulled the electronic device out and typed out a message.  **[Shizuo, what are you up to? Is work over for the day?]** Her words were easier to type when she didn’t have to worry about the tone.

Shizuo’s face was pinched with anger. “I was having a great day, but then that fucking flea had to show his pest of a face! He ruined my whole day, Celty!” He bit through his cigarette with gritted teeth.

**[Oh, that’s awful Shizuo. But you can’t let him get to you, remember? He’s just trying to rile you up. That’s why he pesters you all the time.]** She wisely pointed out, doing her best to not glance at the werewolf whom they were talking about.

“That’s not going to work Celty, not this time! You wouldn’t believe it, the audacity of that little prick!” He ran a hand through his blonde hair. “I fucking went to chase him, and he’s acting all freaked out and tells me he doesn’t want to fight me anymore! And then he runs away!”

Celty was surprised by the sudden turn of events, but kept her body language neutral.  **[Maybe he’s being truthful, Shizuo. He was gone for a month, maybe he has changed since then…]**

The debt collector let out an angry growl. “But I still smell his stupid stench through the city, even right now! He’s toying with me Celty, I know he is! And when I find him, I’m gonna make him wish he had never come back!”

Shizuo stormed away while growling angrily to himself. Celty watched him go, but neither her nor Izaya dared to move until he was long gone from where they were. Despite their sudden friendship, she couldn’t stop her suspicion.

_ What did you do? _ She questioned the Informant.

“I didn’t do anything this time!” Izaya quickly defended himself, his fur dusty and ruffled from his sudden escape into the hiding spot.

Celty couldn’t help herself. She reached out and began to smooth the thick fur and brush the dirt off.  _ Did you really tell him you didn’t want to fight anymore?  _ Izaya gave her a quick nod as she pulled a dried weed from his coat. _ Were you planning to do it? _

Izaya twitched his ears thoughtfully. “Well, to be honest, I hadn’t really thought about it at first. I was hoping I had more time to think about how to handle it... I was in Ikebukuro to do a job for Shiki when it happened…”

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Earlier That Day

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

When the sun was barely setting, Izaya returned to the bay where he had gotten bitten. He at first tried to catch wind of the werewolf who had bit him a month ago, but the only scent he found was where he had been bitten, and that had gone stale by now.

He pulled out his phone and looked towards the many security cameras. The app on his phone had been hastily created, but he hoped that it would work the way he intended. It was meant to be a third party, sending the camera footage through it and to the laptop he had bought for this very job.

If he ever was noticed or the gang occupying the area grew suspicious of him, it would be very easy to discard both the phone and the laptop and still be connected to the footage. The parts he had gotten from Celty worked like a charm for his plan… Which only made him feel more guilty about what he said. But he quickly pushed it away, he needed to focus on work.

He watched as two workers in bright orange jackets walked by, and turned his red eyes to the phone. The same footage played just moments later. Izaya let out a satisfied noise.  _ Try deleting the footage now!  _ He challenged the invading gang.

With his work for the day completed, Izaya decided to make his way to Russian Sushi. He hadn’t been there in a month, and he wanted some fatty tuna. However, on the way there, his sensitive nose caught a smell that smelt way more delicious to his wolf side.

One of the street vendors along the roads of Ikebukuro was selling Yakitori with tare sauce and salt. He couldn’t help himself, and bought himself two skewers. 

By the time Izaya had almost gotten back to Shinjuku, he had eaten both of them. He thanked the moon for his fast metabolism, or else he likely wouldn’t be able to keep up with his appetite. 

The informant’s eyes were on his phone as he weaved through the many alleyways. He had received a text from Mizuki, who seemed as excited as ever. His heart ached. He had been so busy getting his life back on track that he hadn’t been able to see them.

**Muzki: Yo, Izaya! We’re hosting a hot pot party at our place next week! Be there, and bring beer!**

Izaya felt a smile involuntarily rise up on his face, he was excited for the opportunity to spend time with his packmates again. He threw away the empty skewers and quickly responded.

**Izaya: I wouldn’t miss it for anything! See you then!**

He was just about to put his phone back in his pockets when he received a hurried text from one of his other packmates.

**Shiro: Don’t listen to anything Mizuki tells you other than the date. She already asked Sayuri to bring some, she’s just trying to get free beer out of you. We’ll see you next week!**

Izaya rolled his eyes in amusement, he should have expected Mizuki to try something like that. Still, he would bring something to the party. If the rest of the pack was contributing, so could he. Hm… There was that fancy new dessert place that just opened. Maybe he could-

His peaceful thoughts were cut off as a large vending machine crashed into the ground mere centimeters from his face. Izaya yelped in shock and fell backwards as the debris from the sidewalk flew into the air.

Instantly, all his instincts were sent to overdrive. His wolf instincts grew aggressive and angry, wanting him to fight the predator head on and show it not to mess with a wolf. He felt a tingling on his fingers, and when he looked at them he discovered that his fingernails had changed to claws. When he reached up to his tingling ears, he found that they felt pointy. He was changing!! _ Oh no, oh no! _

_ “IIIIIZAAAYAAA!” _

His instincts screamed at him again. They told him to attack, bite, fight for his life against his enemy. But the image of biting Shizuo, and forcing him to change just like Izaya was forced, sent a cold wash of fear through him that managed to stop the oncoming transformations.  _ No! I can’t attack him! I won’t! I won’t! _

The pounding footsteps behind him came to a screeching stop, but Izaya didn’t dare turn to face him. He hunched over in his leather coat, and pressed his clawed hands against his chest. 

“Thought you could sneak back into Ikebukuro, flea?! You were wrong! I’m gonna kill you right here, right now!” Shizuo’s booming voice sent his instincts into panic again.

He opened his mouth, ignoring the feeling of his sharp canines as he forcefully said,”No, Shizuo! Stop it! I don’t want to fight you anymore!”

Shizuo’s angered noises stopped in an instant. “What? What are…” He felt the man’s anger return, and that loud growl escape his throat as he heard the sound of crunching metal. “You can’t trick me, Izaya! I know all your stupid tricks! You’re not getting away this time!”

Izaya’s heart pounded against his chest, he couldn’t bring himself to taunt or begin their usual chase. He knew if he did that his overwhelming desire to attack would be too much. He sank his canines into his lips and turned, sprinting past Shizuo as fast as he could.

“Huh?! What?! You’re not getting away! IZAYA!” He could hear Shizuo’s footsteps again, it wouldn’t be long before the man caught up.

He turned down the first corner he could, and let go of his human form. His paws landed on the ground of the empty alleyway and gave him a burst of speed. He sprinted as fast as he could away from the blonde’s roaring and towards the edge of the city.

He had to get away, he had to. Before his teeth met flesh and he did something he could never take back.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

_ Oh, I get it now… _ Celty said as she finished fixing the wolf’s thick fur.  _ You ran away because you didn’t want to bite him. _

“No, I don’t. Even if Shizu-chan has made it his goal in life to kill me, I won’t let myself bite him.” The wolf shuddered and flattened his ears. “Because then he would go through the same thing I did. I love being a werewolf, I love my pack, but being bitten and transforming for the first time all alone… It was terrifying.”

Celty tilted her helmet curiously. _ Then what are you going to do when you have work in Ikebukuro? Shiki won’t believe that you suddenly can’t fight with Shizuo anymore. You’ll need to come up with something. _

Izaya let out a tired sigh. “I know… But what can I do? When I told him I didn’t want to fight, he instantly thought it was a trick. If I ask for a truce or just outright tell him we should stop, he’ll just think the same thing.”

The Dullahan tapped her handlebars thoughtfully.  _ Well… Do you still hate Shizuo or have you gotten over it? _

The black wolf instantly looked bashful. “I never hated him… I was just… Jealous. I thought he was a monster, and he was still able to have so many people who cared about him.” He shuffled in embarrassment. “Now I realize that the only monster was me and the way I was acting…”

Izaya chuckled and shook his head. “It’s ironic, isn’t it Celty? I didn’t realize how human I really was until I wasn’t human anymore…”

Celty knew that feeling. It was one of the many things she had struggled with while she learned to navigate her life in Ikebukuro. Nobody else had been able to understand, and that made her feel so alone… Until now.

She knelt down next to the werewolf. _ I understand more than you realize, Izaya. It can be scary and lonely, especially when you’re surrounded by so many humans. But just because we aren’t them doesn’t mean we are monsters. We have souls, and feelings just like they do. We may not be human, but we still have humanity.  _

Her words seemed to comfort him as his fur settled and the happiness returned to his expression. “Thanks, Celty.” He gave her an inquisitive glance. “It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

_ I’ve had a lot of time on my own in this world. _ Celty reminded him, trying not to be saddened by her own words.

Izaya seemed to notice her sadness easily, as he quickly nudged her hand with his cold nose. “Hey, you’re not alone anymore, remember? There’s others like us out there, and they all know how we’ve felt.”

Celty’s spirits lifted the slightest bit, and then an idea popped into her mind.  _ Hey… Izaya…  _ The wolf tilted his head curiously.  _ I don’t have many memories of the other creatures in this world. I know a lot about Dullahans, but that’s because I am one. Do you think… Maybe you could teach me what you know? _

The werewolf informant looked surprised by her sudden question. But it was quickly replaced with glee, as he nodded his head. “I don’t know much, I’m still just a pup myself. But I can teach you what I do know, and what we don’t know we can learn together!”

_ That sounds perfect! _ Celty quickly responded. _ I’m looking forward to it! _

They separated soon after, knowing it was safer to continue the conversation another day, somewhere where persistent cops and angry blondes wouldn’t be able to find them. 

Izaya trotted back to the road, looking back at her. “Good night, Celty. It was nice to talk to you… As a friend.”

The courier nodded in agreement and waved goodbye as Izaya looked both ways, sprinted across the road, and disappeared into the alleyways on the other side.

In that moment, Celty found herself starting to understand why Shinra always defended Izaya so strongly. She was seeing through the facades, the endless shields that the raven had made over the years to protect his fragile heart. At some point, those masks had become so connected to him that he had forgotten his true self.

But now, thanks to his month away, thanks to his pack, he was able to break free. This was who he truly was, and Celty was incredibly thankful that she had the gift of befriending the real Izaya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please comment and kudos, I love reading them and it makes me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts!


	9. Chapter 9

A week later, Izaya was standing in front of a large apartment building in Shinjuku. He glanced at the address on his phone, and nodded.  _ This is the place.  _ He held the box of sweets he brought closer as he made his way inside.

On the fourth floor, he walked to the door in the middle. Despite it being shut, he could hear the loud chatter on the inside and smell the delicious hot pot on the other side. He didn’t want to wait a moment longer, so he eagerly knocked on the door.

Moments later, the door was pulled open and he was greeted by an excited looking Mizuki. “Izzy! You made it!!” She grinned, showing off the sharp canines that their kind all shared. She glanced at the bag in his hand. “Did you bring beer?”   
  


Izaya rolled his eyes in amusement. “I missed you too, Mizuki,” He said in a sarcastic tone as he held up the bag. “No, I didn’t. Shiro warned me, so I brought some sweets from a candy shop instead.”

“Shiro! You traitor! We were gonna get more free beer!” The brunette woman exclaimed as she ran over to her husband, crossing her arms with a childish frown.

The white haired man motioned for Izaya to sit next to him as he regarded the woman with a mischievous smirk. “Eh… I’m more of a wine guy anyways.”

Mizuki huffed and plopped down next to him, still pouting. “You’re a prissy werewolf…” She grumbled without malice, leaning against her husband as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss against her hair.

Izaya smiled and pulled out the box of candies. “If it makes you feel better, Mizuki, I got those chocolate coconut candies you told me about, they were having a special-”

Instantly the woman reached out and made grabbing motions with her hands. “All is forgiven! Gimme!”

The raven handed her the box as he moved to sit down on Shiro’s left side. He settled at the three low tables that had been pushed together, in order to give the whole pack room to sit and eat. His eyes roamed the table and his mouth watered at the two bubbling hot pots.

While there were all the usual items that you would see at a hot pot, the assorted vegetables were dwarfed by the amount of delicious looking meat that was either already cooking or set aside, ready to be added to the pot. The smell filled the whole apartment, and made Izaya’s mouth water.

He heard a chuckle from next to him. “Quite a delicious spread, isn’t it?” The croaky voice of their pack leader reached his ears. 

Izaya looked to his left and found the old man was sitting at the edge of the table. He was wearing a simple blue yukata, with a dusty looking book next to him as he carefully ate a bowl filled to the brim with steaming food.

“It is!” The informant took the offered bowl from Shiro and added some food to his own as if he had been starving. When his pack leader chuckled at his antics, Izaya blushed and slowed his pace. “Sorry… I’ve just… This is my first time being invited to something like this.”

Jinsei waved his hand. “Don’t worry, pup. I understand, I was the same way the first time I got to come to an event like this. Even after all these years, it never gets tiring!” He added some fresh slices of beef to the nearest hot pot. “So, how are you adjusting to being back in the city?”

Izaya took a few bites of his food, his taste buds practically crying with glee. “I’ve been doing well. I won’t lie, I love the city, but I miss the forest. I miss the freedom to explore like we were able to out in the countryside.”

The old man hummed in understanding. “I know that feeling. The city can be suffocating for our kind. All the sounds and smells every day can be too much, even for us. But don’t worry, we try to go out there as a pack at least a few times a year.”

The informant didn’t hide his excitement at the idea. He missed the smell of the forest, the thrill of hunting or running in between the trees. He was glad that they would go up there a few times a year, and that the old house wouldn’t be empty until another person got bit. “I’m looking forward to that!”

They ate in silence for a few more moments while Izaya worked up the courage to speak about something else. He awkwardly twirled his chopsticks as he cleared his throat. “Actually, Jinsei, I was wondering if I could bring someone to the bookstore to meet you guys?”

“Oh, who might that be? A girlfriend?” Jinsei curiously asked.

Izaya quickly shook his head. “Oh no, definitely not.”

Jinsei gave a kind smile. “A boyfriend, then?”

The informant blushed a bright pink and quickly shook his head again. “No, it’s a friend of mine. She's pretty well known, you may have heard of her… The Black Biker?"

Jinsei's eyes instantly lit up with excitement, just as Izaya knew they would. His pack leader adored meeting and learning as much as he could about other supernaturals and their cultures. 

"Really? The urban legend?" He asked excitedly. "I've heard many stories about them, are you really friends with them?"

Izaya nodded quickly. "Yes! She found out I was a werewolf when she almost hit me with her motorcycle-"

Next to him, Shiro let out a bark of laughter that made many occupants around the table jump. "She almost hit you with her motorcycle?! That's the second time you almost got hit on the road in less than two months!"

The informant blushed a bright red. "She has a  _ magic bike! _ It doesn't have headlights! Excuse me for not seeing it at night!!"

The other werewolves continued to laugh, or tried to hide their giggles behind their hands. Izaya let out a huff as he pouted for a moment, and then he turned his attention back to his pack leader.

“See, she lost her memories around twenty years ago. So she didn’t even know that there were other supernatural creatures until she talked to me. I told her I would try to see if you would be okay with meeting her, and she was ecstatic at the idea! But I didn't bring her today because I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first.”

Jinsei seemed even more excited than Celty had been. “Of course! I would love to meet her! I have several questions about Dulluhans, and I’m sure she has several questions about the other supernaturals that she recently discovered were real. Next time that young lady is free, feel free to bring her to the bookstore.”

“I will, I promise!” Izaya said, happy that his pack leader had agreed. He made a mental note to text Celty the good news later, and returned to his meal.

Gradually, the rest of the pack arrived for the delicious dinner. Besides Jinsei, Shiro, Mizuki, and Izaya there were four other werewolves in the pack. Despite having spent two full moons with them all, this was the first time he was able to truly meet them.

There was Eiji, a man in his thirties with a mess of long curly black hair and a beard. He had a very relaxed attitude about him as he walked in the door, bringing with him some premium beef slices from one of the fancier stores in town. He told Izaya that he tended to jump from odd job to odd job, which meant money wasn’t always plentiful, but he always saved enough to get the premium beef for these occasions. 

The next werewolf to walk in was a young woman by the name of Yuina. She had her light brown hair tied up in a messy bun, and seemed to have perpetual bags under her dark eyes, but looked just as happy to attend as the others. She brought chips and other convenience store items, all while apologizing profusely for not bringing something homemade. Everyone quickly waved away her apologies, as they understood her job was demanding. She worked at a major publishing company for manga as an editor, and often spent days making up the work she missed on the full moon. 

With the six of them together, they were only missing two more. Izaya recalled one of them already, Sayuri, the reddish wolf who had demanded Izaya leave when he first introduced himself. His behavior after the month away along with Shiro and Mizuki vouching for his change of heart eased the tension between them, but Izaya knew she still regarded him with suspicion.

She was in her early twenties, and her younger sister Bashira was also a werewolf. According to Mizuki, they had run away from a bad family home when they were bitten on the streets. Jinsei discovered them and gave them a place to stay, helping Sayuri raise her sister as they adjusted to their lives as werewolves. Sayuri was working at an art studio part time while attending classes, and Bashira was in high school.

They had decided to save the premium beef for when everyone was there. It was about an hour after Yuina appeared that there was a knock at the door. Eiji got up to open the door, revealing a haunted looking Sayuri with tears streaming down her cheeks. Instantly, the happy mood in the apartment vanished.

Jinsei was on his feet in an instant, and hurried over to the young woman. “Sayuri? What’s the matter? Where is Bashira?”   
  


At the mention of the name, Sayuri threw her arms around the old man and began sobbing profusely. “Oh, Jinsei! S-she’s gone! She disappeared!” She pressed her face against his shoulder as her grip tightened. “She vanished, just like the others!”

Mizuki’s hands went to cover her mouth as she looked towards Izaya and Shiro with fear in her eyes. Eiji’s head was lowered with a grim frown on his face, while Yuina looked close to tears herself. The worst reaction was Jinsei. The old man just sighed, as if he was resigned to the sudden disappearances by now.

“Sayuri… I’m so sorry…” Jinsei whispered, his voice pained and weak, as if that was all he could bring himself to say. 

The young woman’s sobbing became worse. “I- I should have never taken that double shift! I knew people were going missing and I should have been there to pick her up, it’s all my fault!”

Shiro was on his feet in an instant. “You know that’s not true, Sayuri. These disappearances are sporadic. It’s been months since Ichika went missing, you had no way of knowing that one of our pack members would go missing again.”

“But I _ knew  _ people were going missing! I should have been more careful!” Sayuri forcefully insisted. 

A burst of protectiveness exploded through Izaya. He set his empty bowl down and focused on the girl, uncaring of her low opinion of him. “Sayuri. The only people to blame are those who took your sister. You can’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t stop.”

The young woman sniffed and glared at Izaya. “What do  _ you  _ know? You weren’t there. If I had been there, I could have protected her-”

“Or they would have taken you too.” Izaya interrupted her with a glare of his own.

Sayuri looked enraged, and seemed to be seconds away from jumping at him with intent to kill when Eiji added in his own opinion.

“He’s right and you know it, Sayuri. Remember when the Osaka Pack lost those two members at once? They were a couple who were some of the top teachers at a martial arts studio, and they still got caught.”

Yuina nodded her agreement. “And if they had taken both of you, it may have taken longer for us to find out you were gone. You were able to come back here and warn us, we can start looking for Bashira right away!”

Sayuri looked at all the pack members as a bit of hope glowed in her hazel eyes, but it was extinguished moments later. “There’s no point… You all know that too. Nobody that has vanished has ever been found. She’s… She’s gone.”

Mizuki set the girl with a determined look. “That doesn’t mean we can’t try! The scents could still be fresh and… And…” Her eyes flickered over to their newest pack member, and she quickly motioned to him. “Don’t forget! Izzy is an informant broker, one of the best! He can try to track down what happened to Bashira!”

Izaya watched as those hazel eyes turned from angry to vulnerable and afraid. In a tiny voice, with her arms wrapped tightly around Jinsei, she asked,”Can you?”

The informant broker’s mind instantly thought back to the warehouse. The scent of wolf was there, could it be that Bashira was there? But the only scent was of the wolf that bit him. 

He desperately wanted to help find his missing pack mate, he wanted Sayuri to feel some kind of relief that maybe her sister would be found… But he just couldn't get her hopes up before he knew all the facts. 

"I can't promise that I'll find her, but I can promise you that I'll work as hard as I can." Izaya declared, choosing his words carefully. "I know you don't have the highest opinion of me, but you and your sister are still my packmates. So I'll do my best to find her." 

Sayuri nodded her head slowly, as she softly whispered,"Thank you…"

None of them tried to leave and search for Bashira, despite what Mizuki had said about fresh scents. It was painful, to sit and do nothing, but after having so many wolves disappear they felt there was no use in tracking a scent when it would be just like the others.

They sat Sayuri down at the table and tried to convince the girl to eat, but nobody had any luck. Soon, all appetites were lost as they grimly pondered the fate of their missing pack member. 

Too worried to eat but too afraid to leave, the pack soon found themselves all changed into their wolf forms and piled as close together as they could possibly be. 

Meanwhile, with Sayuri's head buried against his thick fur, Izaya's mind pondered other things. His pack member was missing, but he may have a lead to where she was. He needed to ask Sayuri a few more questions before he began his search… But now was not the right time. 

The pain was still fresh. They couldn't separate from each other now, not when they just lost another one of their own. The knowledge that they were all together was the only comfort they had that night.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Another day of school dragged by painfully for Mikado and Anri. Although their relationship had improved greatly since the chaos with the Yellow Scarves, Masaomi's disappearance had affected them both greatly.

It was easier for them to ignore his absence outside of school, but during those long days they were forcefully reminded almost all the time. Masaomi wasn’t there to flirt terribly with classmates during lunch, he wasn’t there to make terrible jokes as they walked home, it left them both feeling as though a part of their heart was missing.

As they reached the exit of the school, Mikado couldn’t help but send a sad glance towards the window that Masaomi had yelled at him from, asking him to ‘tell him all about that beautiful girl and introduce him to her sometime’. He’d been so embarrassed that his best friend had yelled that, right in front of his crush! But now, he would do anything to have it happen again.

“Ryuugamine-kun…” He was pulled out of his reminiscing at the sound of Anri’s gentle voice. 

He glanced down at her, but her eyes were focused forward. Curiously, he followed her gaze and felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of a familiar figure on a black bike. “Celty-san!” He cheerfully exclaimed.

The Dullahan raised her hand in a wave, and then motioned for them to come over. The two high schoolers grinned happily as they made their way over to the courier, both of them curious about what she needed.

“It’s good to see you again, Celty-san!” Mikado said as soon as they were close enough, his loneliness fading away for a brief moment.

Celty nodded her helmet in agreement and pulled out her phone. She typed quickly and then held it out to the two teenagers. **[It is nice to see you guys too. We need to hang out again sometime, I got a new alien movie we can watch!]**

Anri grew a small smile on her face, one that made Mikado blush, and she whispered,”That sounds like fun.”

**[But I can’t catch up with you guys right now. I’m here on business, and you guys might be able to help me.]**

Mikado and Anri both exchanged a glance and wondered if they were about to be plunged back into the chaos of Ikebukuro. But, they both owed Celty a lot for the help she gave them during their many adventures.

“We can try, Celty-san. What is it you need help with?”

The courier pulled her PDA back and stared down at it for a moment, until she managed to find the right words. As soon as she held it out, the two teenagers read it. **[There’s a girl in your class, she went missing. Her name is Sato Bashira. Do either of you know her?]**

Mikado felt his heart skip a beat. Their classmate was missing? He hadn’t even noticed, and he was the class rep. He had been so focused on the chaos in his life and his missing best friend, he barely paid attention to his other students.

Next to him, Anri read over the name a few more times, her nose scrunching up in thought. “I know her, but not very well.” She pondered for a few more moments. “She is a good student, and captain of the track team… But that’s all I know. I’m sorry, Celty-san.”

**[Don’t be sorry, Anri-chan. Any information helps, especially when it comes to finding where she went. Thank you for your help!]** Celty told her, the words on the screen comforting the teenage girl.

Mikado nodded after he finished reading. “C-could you let us know if you find her, Celty-san?” He nervously asked the courier. “I-I know you’re busy, but I’ll be relieved to know if she is okay.” 

Celty nodded her head. **[I will, I promise. See you guys later.]** The Dullahan spun her bike around and rode away, the bike releasing a haunting neigh as she disappeared down the street, the students still by the school watching her go in awe.

The teens stood silently until she was out of view, before they continued their walk off school grounds. An awkward silence fell over them for a few moments, one that was hard to break.  _ Usually Kida-kun would be the one to do it… _ Mikado thought as he took a deep breath.

“I-I hope Sato-san is okay… First Harima, then Kida-kun, and now her… I hope she comes back and didn’t have anything bad happen to her like a kidnapping or something…” He stumbled over his words, getting worse by the second.  _ Stop talking, she will think you’re a weirdo!! _

As he looked back to Anri, he found that she hadn’t been listening at all. She had stopped walking, and her gaze was focused on an empty alleyway with curiosity. 

_ Huh? _ Mikado followed her gaze, but the darkened alleyway was empty. “Did you see something, Sonohara-san?” 

The young woman stared for a few moments longer. “I thought…” She shook her head. “It’s nothing, nevermind.” She continued down the street, and the awkward silence between them returned once more.

With no clue how to break the silence without saying something stupid, Mikado allowed himself to go quiet as well. The rest of their walk was a tense affair, with both teenagers wondering what had become of their missing classmate.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Ducked behind a trash can in wolf form, Izaya waited with bated breath as Anri finally turned her gaze away from his hiding spot and continued walking with Mikado. Only when they were out of sight did he sigh in relief and move away from the foul-smelling garbage.

“That was close…” He muttered as he shook his fur, his gaze scanning the opposite end of the alleyway for any sign of his companion. 

After thirty seconds, he heard the sound of Shooter’s neigh and the black biker slowly rolled into the alleyway. She climbed off her bike and walked over to Izaya, who wagged his tail happily as he trotted over to meet her. 

“What did they say? Did they know anything that may lead us to her?” He questioned the courier as he settled down against her bike.

To his dismay, his friend shook her helmet _. No, they didn’t know anything about her disappearance. _ At Izaya’s saddened expression, she quickly continued. _ It was worth a try though! They are class reps, like you said, there was always a chance. _

Izaya appreciated her attempt to comfort him, but he still let out a frustrated sigh. “I know, I know… I had just hoped that someone had seen her…” He flattened his ears against his head. “Whoever is taking the werewolves is careful, Celty. It seems like they didn’t leave any loose ends with any of them.”

_ Do you have any idea who is doing this? Or why they’re doing this? _ Celty questioned.  _ Maybe it’s those human traffickers from Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, I know they’re still causing trouble. _

“It’s not them, I checked them out already. They've been keeping their noses clean since the last time you scared them." His fur ruffled in frustration. "But no. We have no leads. None of the werewolves who go missing ever come back, and the kidnapper has never been seen." 

Celty nodded her helmet, looking rather dejected that they hadn't been able to find anything that would locate Bashira. 

_ There's still one thing I haven't checked yet…  _ Izaya thought hopefully. He glanced around the alleyway. "Is it clear?"

The Dullahan looked around with him and then lifted her hand, making her shadows rise up and block them on both sides.  _ Go ahead.  _

Izaya nodded and took a deep breath. He pictured his human form and willed for his body to change. After a few moments of a gentle thrumming of magic through his veins, his form changed. 

When he opened his eyes again, he was eye level with Celty. She slowly lowered her shadows and then turned to him, clapping her hands a few times.

_ That was incredible, Izaya! It looked so pretty! It was like you became an outline and then turned human again!  _ She complimented him excitedly.

The raven was surprised by the praise and blushed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah… Thank you, Celty." He reached into his leather jacket's pocket and pulled out his phone. "I have one other idea, the cameras at the warehouses I have hacked for Shiki may have information."

Celty tilted her helmet curiously.  _ How would that help us find Bashira?  _

Izaya opened up the app on his phone, scrolling through the videos. "It may just be a coincidence, but I was investigating them for Shiki when I got attacked by a werewolf. That was when I got bit and turned." He pulled down his sleeve to show Celty the large scar on his arm. 

She visibly recoiled at the sight, and Izaya chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah, I know. Another benefit of being a werewolf, the bite that turns you becomes a permanent scar." 

_ Ouch…  _ Celty stared at it for a moment longer before moving to stand next to him and look at the videos.  _ So you got bitten there, but what makes you think that's where they could be? _

"Because of what happened after. I got away and hid from her on the roof… And then these two men showed up and shot her with a tranquilizer." He brought his hand up to his neck and motioned to the area. "They had chains on her, Celty! Chains!"

The Dullahan shuddered at the image of a poor unconscious werewolf wrapped in chains, being dragged away like a piece of cargo. 

Izaya shared more as he continued scrolling. "I didn't do anything at the time, I thought it was a guard dog of some kind. It was only after I turned for the first time and I learned about the missing werewolves that I thought about what happened again."

“Shiki thinks that it’s a gang trying to take over the territory, but I don’t think that’s the case. These guys haven’t fought any of the Awakusu-kai members in the area, they’ve actively remained hidden. The camera footage was constantly deleted before I hacked in…” He looked at Celty with a determined expression. “Someone is up to something.”

Celty seemed to ponder it for a moment longer, and she nodded her helmet. _ You may be right. It’s too much to be just a coincidence.  _

Izaya clicked on one of the many videos in the app. “Exactly.” He showed the screen to the courier. “This is the footage from the warehouses on the day that Bashira went missing.”

They scrubbed through the footage quickly, watching as the workers busied themselves and the sun rose and fell. Around sunset, a shock of ginger hair made Izaya quickly pause the footage.  _ Is that her? Is that Bashira?  _ He thought hopefully.

He moved to another camera, but couldn’t get a good look at the face. The young woman on the screen talked to one of the warehouse employees for about ten minutes before she turned and walked off screen, back towards the city.

_ Do you think it’s her? _ Celty wondered as she looked at the grainy footage of the person walking away. It was too pixelated to make out any features. But the red hair matched the photo of her that Izaya had shown her earlier.

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I think it would be best if I went and checked out the area. Maybe I can find cameras in the direction that she went, or catch her scent.” Izaya thought aloud. “It’s a long shot, but this is the only lead we have.”

His Dullahan friend nodded and moved back onto her bike.  _ Then let’s go! Hop on! _

Izaya grinned. He was thankful for Celty’s eagerness to help, and the friendship they now shared. He quickly got on the back of the bike, the shadows from the Dullahan formed a protective helmet on his head, and they sped away.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Shizuo heard the motorcycle before he saw it. He stopped following Tom for a moment, and turned his gaze to the road hopefully.

But any hopes he had of speaking to the Dullahan were ripped away like a bandage when he saw her speeding by with someone sitting on the back of the bike. His brown eyes caught the gaze of the second person, and his body seized.

Red eyes, red eyes on the back of the bike. Celty was riding down the street with Orihara Izaya, his worst enemy. He saw fear reflected in those evil red eyes before they rode out of sight.

What? What?! Why was Izaya with Celty? Why were they hanging out together? Was Izaya manipulating her?! Was he trying to isolate her from the others and hurt her?! That bastard!!

“Izaya… IZAYA!” Shizuo yelled in rage as he went to sprint after the motorcycle. But before he could get far, the feeling of someone clutching his wrist forced him to screech to a halt. He whipped around with a loud growl, and found Tom staring at him.

His senpai tightened his grip, and looked at Shizuo with concern. He shook his head furiously. “Shizuo, stop! You can’t go after them, not like this!” 

“What are you talking about?!” Shizuo demanded, barely able to keep himself from wrenching his arm out of the man’s grip.

Tom’s expression became firm. “I don’t know what Izaya is up to either, but if you confront them when you’re angry all you’re going to do is hurt Celty in the process. You can’t let your anger get the better of you!”

Shizuo's chest heaved as Tom’s words forced their way through the haze of fury that had surrounded him. He looked at his senpai, towards the road, and back to his senpai again. “But… But I can’t just let that flea be alone with her! He’s going to try and trick her or hurt her!”

“You and I both know that Celty-san is smart enough to see through any of his tricks. If you really are worried, you need to calm down and think rationally.” He slowly let go of Shizuo’s wrist. “Take the rest of the day off, calm yourself down, and then find Celty and ask her about what is going on. She’ll understand your concern.”

Shizuo opened his mouth to continue arguing, but he couldn’t bring himself to argue with his senpai when the man was right. “I… Alright…” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked back towards his apartment. “See you tomorrow…”

Whatever happiness he felt drained away by the forlorn and betrayed feeling in his heart as he tried to understand what he had just seen. It had been a week since he had spoken to Celty in that alleyway, and she had been avoiding him ever since.

It left him feeling lost and confused. He had vented to her about Izaya’s strange behavior, and suddenly she was no longer speaking to him. Then, he sees her hanging out with the man who constantly tried to make his life miserable. Why? Why was she doing this? 

He didn’t understand… What did he do wrong? 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Izaya and Celty eventually found their way to the warehouse, where she carefully parked her motorcycle in a nearby alleyway. Neither of them worried about it being stolen, Shooter wouldn’t allow anyone but Celty and those she trusted to ride him.

As casually as a headless Dulluhan and a werewolf could be, they made their way to there they had seen the red haired girl on the camera. A few workers looked at them with curious expressions, but focused more on their work than the odd individuals. 

Once they were in the exact spot, Izaya closed his eyes and did his best to sort through the scents. The bay was filled with the overpowering smells of fish, oil, and the many things stored in the warehouses.

After a moment of quiet, he was finally able to catch onto something. He opened his eyes and looked at his companion. “I smell her, but it’s faint…” He took another deep breath and pointed to where they came. “It goes that way, the same way she walked in the video.”

He twitched his nose the slightest bit. “But there’s something else… It’s also very faint, but her scent goes in a different direction too.”

_ Is it from a day before the one we watched on the video? _ Celty asked him as she glanced around the bay, on the alert for anyone who may look suspicious.

Izaya sniffed one more time and shook his head. “No… It’s like... It smells like someone tried to cover it up with different smells.” He growled in frustration. “I can’t figure out where it goes… Damn it!”

Before the werewolf could get too frustrated, he felt Celty tapping his shoulder. He looked towards the woman, and found her pointing towards one of the workers. 

When he followed her gaze, he noticed the young man they had seen in the video. He was standing near the edge of the warehouses and looking around nervously. He checked his phone, and then looked at the streets once more. His expression seemed worried, and his posture showed impatience.

_ It kind of looks like the person Bashira was speaking to in the video, doesn’t it?  _ Celty pointed out to him. At Izaya’s silent nod, she tilted her helmet.  _ Should we go and talk to him? _

“The only other lead I had is a dead end, so we might as well.” Izaya turned to the courier and gave her a smile. “Good eye, Celty.”

They made their way over to the young man, and Izaya was able to get a better look at him. He had sandy brown hair that stuck up in many directions and hazel eyes to match. He was young, likely of high school age, and a human. 

When he saw them approaching, he seemed to grow a little nervous. “Um… C-can I help you?” He awkwardly asked.

Izaya instantly dusts off his conman skills, and gives a polite bow. “A pleasure to meet you, young man. My name is Watanabe Nakura, private investigator. This is my partner, Yamamoto Sara.”

“O-oh…” The young man fell for their lie, and quickly bowed. “Ito Fumihiro, n-nice to meet you both.”

Izaya nodded his head in acknowledgement of the boy’s politeness, but remained focused on the task at hand. “We would like to ask you a few questions about a young lady by the name of Sato Bashira.”

The boy’s eyes instantly light up with recognition. “Bashira-chan…” The affection that Izaya briefly notices is quickly swallowed by worry. “I-Is she okay?”

“Unfortunately, Sato-san has not been seen in several days. Her sister hired us to try and find where she may have gone.” Izaya kept his tone as professional as possible. “Our investigation and people we have interviewed have led us here. This is the last place she was seen.”

**[You don’t have to worry, you are not a suspect since we know you didn’t leave with her. But as she was last seen in this area, we were hoping you could provide us some insight on where she may have gone.]**

Fumihiro looked rather distressed. “I-I had no idea she was missing…” He pulled out his phone and sighed. “No wonder she didn’t answer my calls…”

“Bashira-chan… She and I are dating. I saw her a few days ago, I had to cancel our date because work has been busy. I work here part time, but we’ve been getting so many shipments that I had to stay late. I cancelled our date, but she still made sure to take the time to come see me…” He pointed to his right, the opposite direction of where Izaya and Celty came from. “She left that way… But that’s all I know.”

Izaya and Celty looked at each other and exchanged a nod. “I see. That is very helpful, thank you. We will continue our investigation. Have a good day.”

The boy took hurried steps forward. “I-If you find out anything, will you please come tell me? I want to-” He took a shaky breath. “I need to know that she is okay.”

**[We will, we promise.]** Celty said, her tone a comforting one even if Izaya was the only one who could hear it.

The young man gave a weak smile as he looked at them. “T-thank you.” He turned around at the sound of someone calling for him and scurried back towards the docks, returning to work.

Celty and Izaya waited until he was out of view to return to the motorcycle. The Dullahan grabbed her loyal horse and rolled it next to them as they walked in the direction that the boy had indicated.

_ I hope this gives us more information than we had before. It feels like we keep running into dead ends…  _ Celty muttered after a few moments of silence.

The werewolf next to her was quickly nudging her with his elbow. “Hey, don’t be sad. If it weren’t for you noticing that kid, we wouldn’t have had anything. At least now we have a direction to go towards.”

Celty noticeably cheered from his praise, happy to have helped. Izaya returned her glee with a grin of his own, unashamed of showing off his sharp canines when he was around someone who wouldn’t fear what he was.

Then, a sudden scent caught his nose like a smack in the face. “Wait…” He sniffed again, and gasped. “The smell is back! But it’s only right here.” He pointed to where he was standing. “It doesn’t go forward, and it doesn’t go back…”

He huffed in frustration. “Someone tried to hide the smell… They hid it well, but they missed a spot.” He looked around them, and noticed something that gave him a small feeling of hope. “Celty, look.”

The three story building in front of them had cameras, and one of them pointed right to where Izaya’s sensitive nose had caught the scent. They glanced at each other hopefully and hurried to the building. The front was absent of any door, but that didn’t deter them.

Celty looked into the alleyway and pointed upwards at a glowing sign that read ‘After Dark’. _ Izaya… I think this place is a love hotel… Is it a good idea for us to go in there? They may not even let us see the cameras. _

Izaya looked forlorn for a small moment, before determination overtook it. “I have to try!” He declared,”Bashira-chan is my packmate! I won’t stop looking for her until every avenue is exhausted!” 

The Dullahan was momentarily surprised by her friend’s determination. But she instantly felt her admiration for the werewolf grow. It was amazing to see him care so strongly for his pack, despite having only known them for a short amount of time. She was proud to be his friend.

_ You’re right! Let’s follow this lead! _ She excitedly agreed as they walked down the alleyway.

The closed sign on the hotel did not deter them. Izaya knocked on the door of the brick building and waited for a few moments. There was a quiet sound of movement, and then the door slowly opened. “Sorry, we’re closed for a-”

“We’re not here for anything like that. I’m investigating a missing person’s case, I need to look at the cameras that face the street,” Izaya quickly interrupted. “Please, and then we will be out of your hair.”

The door opened further, revealing a pale woman with inky black hair that reached her waist. “I don’t really care, kid. Come back when you have some kind of documentation saying that and-” She looked up at Izaya, and her eyes widened.

Instantly, Izaya felt that feeling of adrenaline run through him. His heart skipped a beat as he realized who- or rather, what- he was speaking to. 

“You’re a vampire…” He whispered.

The woman’s eyes seemed to gleam a silver color as she gave a wide grin, revealing sharp fangs hidden underneath her plump lips. “A werewolf… My, my, it has been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of drinking your blood~”

Izaya froze in surprise while Celty visibly recoiled in terror.  _ Wait, WHAT?!  _

The woman’s hands flew out, grabbed them both by their shirt collars and yanked them forward with surprising strength. The duo vanished into the bowels of the darkened building, and the heavy metal door slammed shut behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please comment and kudos, I love reading them and it makes me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts!


	10. Chapter 10

The second that Izaya had crashed onto the ground of the hotel, he felt a sudden burst of fear overtake him. He scrambled up and found that he and Celty were surrounded by seven girls, all of them vampires, and all of them grinning with their sharp teeth on display.

Izaya felt a sudden desire emerge from deep within his soul.  _ I have to protect her! Protect Celty! _ His body changed along with his fierce thoughts, and he was on all fours in wolf form. His hackles were raised and his teeth bared in a protective snarl.

“Aww! The little puppy thinks he can protect her! How cute!” The vampire that had forced them inside cooed in a mocking tone. The other girls laughed at her words.

Izaya snapped his teeth in a threatening manner. “Get near either of us and I’ll show you just how dangerous I can be!” 

Celty was up on her feet mere seconds after Izaya, and quickly stood protectively at his side. In her hands formed her scythe, which she was prepared to swing at any of them if they dared to try and hurt either of them.

The stand-off between them lasted only a few moments before a loud voice echoed throughout the love hotel. “What the hell is going on here?”

The vampires, the werewolf, and the Dullahan all swiveled their heads to the stairs, where an older woman stood. She had on a mighty fur coat, jewelry everywhere, with a face full of makeup and a cigarette held delicately in her spindly fingers. Her red eyes sent a fierce glare towards the vampires.

“M-Madame!” The nearest vampire, a girl with short blonde hair exclaimed. “W-we weren’t doing anything!”

Celty, still holding her scythe close, was quick to point at the vampire with the inky black hair.  _ She said that she was going to suck my friend’s blood and then she dragged us in here! _

The Madame’s eyes quickly landed on her. “Yua! I’ve told you a thousand times not to try and scare our otherworldly guests!” 

“Awww, come on Madame! We were just having a little fun!” Yua whined like a child as she glanced back at Izaya. “It’s so hard to resist with the werewolves, especially the newer ones! They always think the feud is a real thing!”

The older woman scoffed and cuffed the woman over the head. “And you’re only ruining our image more by scaring any poor werewolf that walks through the door!” She pointed upstairs. “Go get our guests food right away! Apologize first!”

Yua quickly bowed her head to Izaya and Celty. “I’m sorry for my behavior!” She squeaked and then hurried up the stairs before the older woman could yell at her more.

“The rest of you, go back to what you were doing before I make you clean this whole place top to bottom for encouraging her!” The Madame yelled, which quickly sent all the other vampires scurrying away.

As soon as the mischievous vampires had all scattered, the Madame’s angry expression melted into a pleasant one. “I am so sorry about that, young vampires tend to be a little… Mischievous. It’s okay, little wolf, you can change back now.”

Izaya flicked his tail at the nickname and waited for a few suspicious moments before he changed back into his human form. Celty seemed to agree that the danger was gone, so she let her scythe vanish into the shadows.

The Madame looked Izaya up and down. “Oh my, what a handsome little werewolf. You can have one of my girls at a discount if you would like. Think of it as an apology for the scare, and a benefit of your looks~”

Izaya’s face turned a bright shade of red as he stuttered out several words that didn’t make sense. “I- I- Um… I’m not here for any of your girls, we- we are here for-”

“Oh~ I see. You and this lovely lady here want a room for yourself! Now that’s a union I would like to see!” She visibly swooned at the thought.

Celty, who had been snickering at Izaya’s predicament just moments before, was so embarrassed that the puff of smoke from her neck nearly sent the helmet flying off her head.  _ WHAT?! No! We’re friends- _

“She has a boyfriend!”

_ He’s not even my type! _

“And she’s not mine either!”

The Madame chuckled. “Ah I see! You swing for the other team then, little wolf? I’m sorry, I don’t have any guys here for you.”

Izaya’s face turned an even deeper shade of red if that was possible. “I… I’m not here for anything like that! I’m here for business reasons, it’s very important so I would appreciate it if you would let me speak!”

The older vampire and Celty both seemed to notice how he avoided what The Madame had just said, but neither of them brought it up, which he was very thankful for. He had more important things to worry about.

The Madame took a drag of her cigarette and then motioned to the werewolf. “Go ahead then, I am listening.”

With her full attention, Izaya and Celty recounted the tale of the missing werewolves to the vampire. They explained how the informant had gotten the bite, and then the strange disappearances that had been continuing to happen. As Izaya went into detail about the obvious cover up of scents and camera footage, her face went from flirtatious to concerned.

The other vampire girls, who had been avoiding the area, soon grew too invested in the story and joined in. They sat on the furniture and listened in, their faces just as concerned as the woman who ran the building.

“...And that’s why we came here. Her scent ends right in front of the cameras on the side of your building that faces the bay. I was hoping that we could take a look at the cameras and see if my packmate, or any of the others, may have shown up on it as well.” Izaya finished his tale with a pleading tone in his voice.

The older vampire’s face remained pinched as she took another drag of her cigarette. “That is deeply worrying…” She muttered to herself. There was silence in the hotel for a few moments before she looked at them both. “How old do you think I am, little wolf?”

Izaya tilted his head. “Vampires are immortal, aren’t they? So I’m guessing you’re pretty old.”

She chuckles and nods her head. “Precisely. I don’t remember my exact age, but I am over three hundred. I’ve seen the persecution of our kind many times. I remember when the werewolves all had to go into hiding around one hundred years ago. There was a good stretch of time where we thought that maybe you had all been killed.”

The Madame shuddered at the memories. “I don’t want to see that happen again. Not to werewolves, vampires, or any of the otherworlders.”

With a wave of her hand, she beckoned for Izaya and Celty to follow her upstairs. The friends sent a gleeful look at each other and did just as The Madame requested. She took them all the way up to the third floor.

It looked like the third floor was where all the girls lived. There was a nice kitchen and a living room, as well as several nice rooms. There were no windows, but there were clocks. The girl who had frightened them, Yua, was by the fridge. When Izaya looked inside, he noticed several bags of blood.

“Ah… So all the girls here are vampires?” He asked curiously, trying to recall what Jinsei had told them. “Does that mean you are a clan?”

The Madame led them to her office while she made a happy noise. “Well, well, it seems you’re also an educated little wolf.” She nodded her head. “Yes we are. Most of the clan members have been here for over fifty years except Yua, she was bitten only a few years ago.”

Celty looked between the two of them and tilted her helmet. _ I don’t understand… What’s a clan? Is that like how werewolves have packs? _

The older vampire hummed. “Sort of. Almost all werewolves tend to belong to a pack, but vampires come and go from clans as they please. Sometimes a clan can be as close as werewolves in a pack, but other times it’s just for business.”

“As you know, going out in the sun kills vampires. So the daytime is out for us. We have less time to find a meal, so when we are in clans it ups our chances, especially if people in our clan have good connections.”

She motioned to the building around them. “The night life is when vampires thrive. Night clubs, bars, love hotels... That is why I started a brothel. People come in for a good time, and my girls can get some blood without raising any flags.”

_ So you bite your clients? Doesn’t that raise any flags? _ Celty questioned her again. She couldn’t help but be curious now that she knew other supernatural creatures existed. Izaya shared her curiosity, so he listened intently.

“Nope. Just like werewolves have their own special powers, so do vampires. We have the power to erase memories.” She tapped one spindly finger against her head. “We can’t erase strong memories, like people you care about or things you remember strongly, but we can erase small things. We bite them, drink the blood, and then make them forget.”

Izaya hummed in admiration. “I see… So that means your bites don’t turn people into vampires like werewolves do.”

The Madame shook her head. “Nope. We can  _ choose _ when to turn someone. I can’t speak for the lone vampires, but most clans have rules about who you can turn and who you can’t.”

She sat down in the plush desk chair and typed speedily on the computer. “Do you know what day your packmate went missing, little wolf?”   
  


Izaya nodded and told her the date, and the estimated time that Bashira likely was taken. The vampire typed on the screen for a while longer and then scrolled through her videos on the camera feed. After a few seconds, she froze. “What the…”

“What is it?” Izaya moved to stand behind her and looked at the screen, his heart instantly filling with dread at what he saw. The footage for the day Bashira went missing was completely erased, as if it had never existed.

The werewolf let out a frustrated growl. “Damn it!” He clenched his fists so tight that he could feel his nails cutting into his palms, and let out a frustrated growl. “That was my only lead, and now I have nothing! I thought I could find her!”

_ Izaya, we can still try to find her...  _ Celty tried to comfort him.

The informant broker sighed and shook his head. “How am I supposed to do that without a lead? I was too late, Celty… She’s gone, just like the others…”

The vampire watched their exchange quietly, and then shook her head. “Don’t you dare give up, little wolf. I saw the passion in your eyes as you were telling your story. You want to find the missing werewolves, and now I do too.”

_ She’s right, Izaya!  _ Celty quickly added her own opinion.  _ We can find Bashira, we can find all of them! We just have to change our strategy, and not give up! That’s what they want us to do! _

Izaya’s downtrodden expression remained for a few moments before he became determined once more. "Celty, you're a genius!" He exclaimed. "They are being careful, yes. But is it because they are smart enough for that or is it because they know we're onto them?"

He hummed thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I may have to wait until another wolf goes missing before I can see where exactly they go. But that doesn't mean I can't work on other things too." He looked at the vampire. "Madame, if I can fix your cameras so they can't hack in as easily, can I come back and occasionally check the footage?" 

The Madame looked at him with pride. "Of course, little wolf. You and your friend are welcome to come over anytime, whether it is business or otherwise." She winked, and then typed something on the computer. "I will ask the other clans in the area to keep an eye out too."

_ You think they will help?  _ Celty asked curiously. 

The vampire nodded her head. "Maybe not all of them, but I know that most clans still remember the importance of all supernaturals protecting each other." 

Izaya gave another smile that showed off his canines. "Thank you so much, Madame. That means a lot." He looked towards Celty. "As for you and me, I think it would be best if we backed up but remained vigilant."

_ I think so too. If it looks like we gave up, whoever is doing this might get reckless and slip up. _ The courier gave him a hopeful thumbs up. 

After a moment of silence, Izaya awkwardly shuffled his feet. "But that doesn't mean we have to pretend to not be friends… Doing this investigating with you has been fun. We should try to hang out sometime!" 

Celty loomed ecstatic.  _ Yes! I would love to! Maybe we can rope Shinra into watching some alien movies with us! I just found out about this american show called The X-Files!  _

Izaya chuckled at her sudden excitement and smiled. He didn't know it in that moment, but his fondness for Celty had manifested into something more. She was no longer just a friend, she was something more.

After cheering Izaya up, they did a little more planning. Izaya promised to come back in a few days and fix their cameras as well as update a few things, the vampire told them about the clans that would most likely speak to them too, and they exchanged numbers so they would be able to contact each other easily. 

It seemed like everything was ready to go. The Dullahan and the werewolf said goodbye to their new vampire friends as they opened the door to the love hotel-

_ SLAM!  _

Izaya was suddenly thrown backwards as something heavy crashed into his body. The vampires let out a cry of surprise as he landed on Yua and sent her and the tray she was holding to the ground with a loud clatter.

The informant felt his head spin in shock as he forced himself to shake off the surprise. He was quick, and instinctively shifted into his wolf form as he jumped to his feet.

When he looked up, he found that there was a large brown werewolf standing in the doorway. He stalked forward and took up the entire doorway with his hackles raised, bared teeth, and a growl that echoed through the whole hotel.

The werewolf threw itself forward and snapped its jaws with intent to bite at Izaya’s beck, but Izaya was faster than him. He dodged the gleaming teeth and threw his body weight into the wolf's side, sending the creature tumbling backwards and into the lobby chairs, which couldn’t handle the sudden force and topped over each other.

The large wolf quickly regained his footing and charged again. Izaya tried to dodge once more, but the werewolf was prepared for such a move. He moved the same way as Izaya and lunged, sinking his teeth into Izaya's shoulder. 

“Argh!” The black wolf let out a yelp as he wrenched himself out of the grip, feeling his skin tear and the blood soak his fur. "Alright! That's it!!"

He let the wolf charge again and faked a dodge. When the wolf tried to meet the dodge once more, Izaya ducked and let his teeth sink into the wolf's back leg. Just like how he did with Shiro, he pulled the limb with him until the wolf lost his balance and crashed to the ground. 

As soon as he hit the ground, Celty's black shadows wrapped around him and trapped him on the ground. The wolf snarled and struggled, but his teeth and claws were no match for the power of a Dullahan.

Once she was sure that the wolf was trapped, the Dullahan hurried over to Izaya and knelt down at his side.  _ Are you okay?!  _ Celty asked him worriedly, her hand hovering over the bloody bite on his shoulder.

Izaya kept his paw raised off the ground to make sure that the injured limb didn't have any weight on it. "Ah… I will be fine…" He said after moving the shoulder a little bit. "It hurts, but it wasn't that bad of a bite." 

The black werewolf limped over to the trapped supernatural and bared his teeth. "Alright, stranger. I'm not in the mood for games. Who are you, and why did you attack me?!" 

A million ideas ran through Izaya's mind. Was it a friend of the werewolf that bit him? Was it someone helping with the disappearances? Who could it be? 

"Don't act like you don't know, Orihara!" The brown wolf snarled, and the familiar voice made both Celty and Izaya freeze in shock.  _ Wait a second… _

"Tom?!" 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Izaya lowered his snout to the ground so he could look the werewolf in the eye. Those eyes, the fur color, there was no doubt in his mind. The werewolf who just attacked him was Tom, Shizuo's senpai. 

"What in the… You're a werewolf?!" Izaya exclaimed in disbelief. 

Tom stopped his struggles and showed his sharp teeth. "I could ask you the same question, Orihara." 

Izaya barely noticed the hostility in the tone, too focused on the fact that the debt collector was not just an average human. "I… I've been a werewolf for a month and a half now…" He awkwardly admitted. 

"Did you get bit or did you turn yourself into a werewolf on purpose?!" Tom asked with a growl. 

_ What?! On purpose? Why would Izaya get himself bit on purpose??  _ Celty questioned in confusion. 

Tom looked at her as if she were daft. "Why else would he do it? To hurt people!" He glared at Izaya again. "You vanish for the month transformation and the first fucking thing you do is mess with Shizuo's head!" 

Izaya tilted his head with an incredulous look in his red eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" 

"You know damn well what I'm talking about! You waltz around Ikebukuro to taunt him, and as soon as he comes after you, you act like you don't want to fight him! And  _ then  _ you drive around with Celty just to hurt him more!!" Tom turned to snarl at the Dullahan. "Why are you letting him do this?" 

Celty looked just as bewildered as Izaya.  _ Tom, he's not doing anything for once! He wasn't even trying to mess with Shizuo!  _

"Lies!" Tom thrashed against the bondage that kept him against the floor. 

Izaya hopped to his paws. "No, it's true!" The black wolf hurriedly insisted. "Tom-san, I told Shizu-chan that I didn't want to fight because I really didn't!" 

The debt collector narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but seemed to notice the genuine feeling in Izaya's tone. He stayed silent, and waited to hear what the informant would say next. 

"That day, I had been distracted talking to my pack. When he threw that thing at me, it scared me really bad. I started to change, and my wolf side was telling me to attack and to… to bite. It was  _ terrifying… _ So, I ran." 

Tom's suspicion melted away a little bit as he recalled that day. It seemed he believed Izaya's story, but he still seemed confused. "But you hate Shizuo, wouldn't you want to bite him? To make him suffer?" 

"I don't hate Shizuo! At least, not anymore. I've had time to grow up a little, and now I understand that my hatred was from jealousy… I wanted the friendships he had, but I never tried to work for it," He shook his fur and sat down."Even if I still hated him, I still wouldn't bite him."

"Why?" Tom's interrogation continued. 

Izaya didn't even have to think hard about that. "Because I would never willingly change someone from human to supernatural… And because my bite was an unwilling one. I remember how terrified I felt… How scared a first transformation was when I was all alone." He shuddered in fear. "I would never want to put someone through that." 

Tom's gaze softened, showing a level of understanding that only another werewolf would understand. Izaya knew he would get it. They both had teeth that could change a person with the simplest of bites, and that power was sometimes hard to control. 

"And… As for me and Celty riding together, that was just a coincidence."

The brown wolf looks towards the Dullahan, who nods her helmet in agreement with what the informant says. 

_ Me and Izaya are investigating the werewolf disappearances. _ Tom froze, but Celty continued without noticing.  _ One of his packmates went missing and so we were trying to see if we could find any clues about where she and the other missing ones are. _

Any anger in Tom’s expression faded away, and was replaced with fear and concern. “Wait… W-werewolves are going missing?” He questioned in shock.

Izaya tilted his head to the side. “Dozens have disappeared, how did you not know? All the packs have been buzzing about it.”

Tom’s ears flattened slightly. “Oh I- I don’t….” He cleared his throat and let out a weak huff. “I don’t belong to a pack…”

The informant was surprised. He had never met a lone wolf before, those were very rare. The grey wolf who had taught him to heal told him that packs were important because of their powers, they were stronger when they were together. Lone wolves struggled more, and in a time where werewolves were going missing…

“I see…” Izaya wasn’t sure what else he could say. He couldn’t imagine being without a pack. He turned and let his tongue run along the injury, cleaning the blood from his fur. “Well… Yeah, werewolves have been going missing. I don’t know who is doing it, but someone is trying really hard to make it so I don’t find anything.”

Celty nodded.  _ We came to the love hotel to check their cameras, since we didn’t get a clear view on the ones Izaya hacked. But whoever is doing this got rid of the footage before we got here. They are being very thorough.  _

Tom’s hackles raised for a moment, but Izaya knew that it was out of worry rather than anger. He turned his head and glanced up at the black werewolf. “I… I’m sorry for attacking you…” He managed to admit. “I thought you were going to try and hurt Shizuo. I know he can take care of himself, but… He’s my honorary packmate, I had to make sure you weren’t planning anything.”

“Oh…” Izaya whispered, his eyes wide at the mention of those words.

Celty looked between the two of them, once again out of the loop. I’m confused… What does he mean by honorary packmate?

The Madame was the one who answered. “Well, werewolves belong to packs, as you know. Humans or other supernaturals cannot be pack members. But, if a werewolf cares deeply about someone, it forms a bond that is referred to as becoming an honorary pack member.”

She looked towards the werewolves to confirm, and both of them nodded their heads in agreement with what the love hotel owner had said.

“Honorary pack members are under the protection of the wolf or wolf pack that they bond with,” Izaya explained further. “A wolf pack will be able to tell if you are one or not, and they tend to leave honorary packmates alone because messing with them is trouble.”

Tom snorted from his trapped position. “Not that it does any good with Shizuo. Humans still mess with him, and he gets in enough trouble on his own. But, I guess that’s just how it is in Ikebukuro.”

He turned his brown eyes to Izaya. “Do you mean it? You’ll really leave Shizuo alone? You won’t try to mess with him anymore?”

“I do, I promise.” Izaya gave his fur one last lick, the blood finally gone. “And I’m not doing that just because he’s your packmate. I didn’t want to fight him anymore anyways… I’m.. I’m done hurting people.”

Tom seemed to search his expression for any sign that the black wolf could be lying. He seemed satisfied with what he saw, and inclined his head. “I believe you.” He motioned his snout towards Celty. “It’s kind of hard not to when Celty is here to vouch for you. I see why you made her an honorary packmate.”

The Dullahan froze, her helmet turning to face Izaya.  _ Wait… Really? _ She questioned him in disbelief.  _ You care about me that much? _

Izaya’s fur seemed to ruffle as he grew bashful, shuffling his paws. “I- Yeah… It happened a few minutes ago. I was going to tell you but then all of this happened and, you know…”

Celty made an excited squealing noise as she knelt down and hugged the wolf tightly, letting her helmet rest in the thick, warm fur. _ Izaya, I’m so happy! I’m proud to be your pack mate! Thank you, thank you! _

As Tom watched the two supernaturals embrace, any doubt that he had about how genuine the informant were being was fully vanquished as he watched the two embrace, and saw the black wolf, unable to hide how happy Celty’s acceptance made him, let his tail wag back and forth like an excited puppy.

_ Wow…  _ The debt collector thought, his heart lighter than it had been moments before.  _ Maybe I was wrong, maybe Izaya really had changed… _

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

After Celty quadruple checked that Tom wasn’t planning to jump Izaya the second he was freed, she let her shadows dissipate and allowed the brown wolf to awkwardly climb to his feet. He hissed in pain at the bite on his back foot, surprised by just how strong Izaya actually had been in the fight.

Izaya looked momentarily surprised by the sight of him limping, as if he had forgotten how he had injured Tom. “Oh, here, let me help you.” He lowered his paw over the bite, leaned his head back, and then let out a chilling howl. Tom watched in awe as a white glow surrounded his wound, and then it slowly healed, leaving nothing behind.

With a dropped jaw, Tom lifted his newly healed paw and stared in disbelief. “No way… How did- How did you do that?”

“Oh my~” The Madame said with a wide grin. “It has been centuries since I have seen a wolf using the moon’s gift. Today has been an interesting day indeed.”

Izaya let his paw scrape against the ground. “All werewolves have the ability to heal, it’s just that not many know about it anymore. Having to hide amongst humans, and having so many of us killed, eventually made us forget,” He explained, recalling that the grey wolf had told him.

Tom lifted his paw and sniffed it. “I had no idea…” He looked towards Izaya and tilted his head. “Do you think… Do you think you could teach me to do that?”

Izaya’s tail wagged once more and he eagerly nodded his head. “Of course I can! The more wolves that know about the ability, the better.” He hissed in pain as his injured shoulder twinged. “Ah… But it may have to wait until my shoulder gets fixed up.”

_ Do you want me to take you to your packmates so they can heal you?  _ Celty asked him, still fretting over the werewolf’s injury. 

Izaya quickly shook his head. “No, no I can’t. Mizuki and Shiro are the only ones who know how to heal right now, and they are with Sayuri. Our pack leader doesn’t want her to be alone now that Bashira is gone, just in case those kidnappers try to get her too. I don’t need to trouble them.”

_ Shinra, then? We don’t have to tell him about you being a werewolf yet, but he can wrap the bite until your friends are able to heal you. _

The informant looked thankful and allowed himself to return to human form, and Tom followed him soon after. Those red eyes looked into the debt collector’s brown ones, and a smile formed on his face. 

“Would you like to come with us, Tom-san?”

Tom felt a warm feeling erupt in his chest. Despite having only known Izaya and his status as a werewolf for a few days, he felt a kinship with the man. He was confused. _ Is this what having a pack is like? _ He wouldn’t know…  _ Maybe… Maybe I could find out? _

But the hopeful thought was instantly tarnished by fear. He didn’t fear Izaya, he feared packs in general. He had been alone almost all his life. Relying on a pack was a foreign idea, and one he wasn’t sure he was ready to consider yet.

“Eh… You guys go ahead. I think I need to stay here and clean up the mess I made.” He shuffled his feet awkwardly. “But… Well, it was nice to talk to you two. I’ll try to help with the missing werewolves, and with Shizuo.”

Izaya's face betrayed his confusion, and his cheeks were dusted with blush. “W-what do you mean?”

Tom shrugged awkwardly. “Well, you know I can’t let Shizuo keep on hating you when you’re trying to do better. I can’t guarantee how much I can help, but I can still try to put in a good for you with him.”

The informant gave him another smile, and then waved his hand in a dismissal. “Don’t worry about it, Tom-san. It was my behavior that made Shizuo hate me, it’s my responsibility to fix that. Thank you for the offer, though.”

Tom nodded, and watched as the werewolf and Dullahan departed. He heard the whinnying of the motorcycle as they took off, and finally the debt collector was able to relax. He profusely apologized to the vampires, and began to help clean up the mess he made of the lobby.

The Madame waved away his apologies, and helped him with his cleaning. After they remained silent for a while, she seemed to find the right time to speak. “So, you’re a packless wolf?” She questioned him.

“I… Yes. My mother and father are both werewolves, they never joined a pack, even after I was born."

The Madame made a curious noise. "I see, so you're a natural born werewolf, not a bitten one."

Tom nodded. "Exactly. And after they passed, I never got the courage to join one.” He set the coffee table up the right way once more. “It was hard to when it felt like I would be an outsider, or surrounded by strangers.”

The older vampire hummed thoughtfully as she looked towards the door to the love hotel. “Well… It must feel nice to know that those aren’t your only options anymore, right?” 

Tom followed her gaze, recalling the werewolf informant and his honorary Dullahan packmate, and let a small grin appear on his face. “Yes… It does feel nice.”

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

“Wow! Talk about an awful bite!” Shinra exclaimed as he disinfected the wound, which garnered a hiss of pain from Izaya. “That must have been a big dog! What was it? German Shepherd? Great Dane?”

The shirtless Izaya made a dismissive noise and waved his uninjured arm. “I don’t know what kind of dog it was, I was kind of focused on getting its teeth out of my skin before it could do any real damage.” He flippantly answered. 

It hurt both Izaya and Celty to lie to the underground doctor. They both cared about him, but that was why they couldn’t say anything. For Izaya, it was to keep Shinra safe. He didn’t know if the mysterious kidnapper would be cruel enough to target loved ones, especially if they figured out exactly who Izaya and Celty were.

He knew that Celty hated lying to her beloved, but she agreed that it was the safest for now. They wanted to wait until the right time to reveal everything, and make sure Izaya’s pack was okay with the underground doctor knowing. 

They had little doubt that Jinsei would say no, considering that Shinra already held knowledge about the supernatural thanks to his infatuation with Celty. But letting humans know about the supernaturals in the world was something that couldn’t be done lightly. So, just to be safe, they kept their mouths shut.

**[Like we said, Shinra, it was just a big attack dog that caught Izaya while we were investigating the place. It’s a good thing it was on a chain, or else it probably would have chased us all the way back!]**

Izaya snickered at the cover up story that they had come up with. “That is something I’ve never understood. Why pay a bunch of money to train a scary guard dog if you’re just going to chain them up where they can’t reach a criminal. It makes no sense!”

Celty’s shoulders shook with laughter. **[You shouldn’t complain about it considering that chain is what saved you from becoming a chew toy, Izaya!]**

The informant huffed and pouted. “Whatever… But I’m still right and you know it, Celty!”

Shinra allowed himself a small chuckle as he looked towards his only friend, his gaze as inquisitive as always. “You know Orihara-kun, you sure seem different these days…”

“Oh?” Izaya casually replied, having been prepared for such an observation. “What do you mean, Shinra?”

The doctor finished the stitches into the wound and grabbed some bandages. “I don’t know… Well, you and my beloved Celty are getting along better, and you seem like you are… Well… You seem like you’re happier?”

Izaya tilted his head in thought and admiration. Shinra always seemed to catch what others didn’t. He was right, Izaya had been feeling a lot happier since becoming a werewolf. He had a pack, he had a true family, and he had great friends.

“Yes, well…” He allowed himself to give the underground doctor a small smile. “Let’s just say that my month away helped me grow up, and made me learn to appreciate the people I have in my life.”

Shinra’s response was a wide smile of his own. “I’m glad.” He cut the bandages off and taped it off. “Celty told me about the X-Files idea! It would be nice to have someone else there, because I don’t understand those shows half the time!”

“Oh well I wouldn’t want to impose-”

“Nonsense! Maybe you can help explain those convoluted plots to me with that fancy brain of yours!” Shinra’s smile turned into a bashful one. “And also, I miss hanging out like we did in school... “

Guilt quickly pooled in Izaya’s chest. He couldn’t help but feel bad at Shinra’s hopeful tone. He knew it was true, he hadn’t been a very good friend. His jealousy and cruel behavior always made that impossible. He wanted to be someone that Shinra could rely on and enjoy spending time with, he wanted to be a true friend. He was going to make up for lost time, starting right away.

“I miss it too…” He quietly admitted, and smiled once more. “Alright then, let’s do it!”

Shinra’s face instantly brightened with happiness. “Awesome! Thank you, Orihara-kun!”

“Please, Shinra, we’ve been friends forever. Just call me Izaya.”

This only made the underground doctor even happier. “Okay then… Izaya.” He knelt down and grabbed the bloodied shirt Izaya had been wearing. “Hang on, I’ll put this in the wash and grab you a shirt to borrow, be right back!”

Izaya let the doctor scurry down the hallway, and rubbed his injured shoulder lightly. It felt better already, but perhaps that was just from his good mood. 

He couldn’t help but feel happy. Despite the dead end when it came to the cameras, he had befriended some vampires, gained a new pack member with Celty, became tentative acquaintances with Tom, and had begun to patch things up with his best friend. It had been an eventful, exhausting day, but he was glad it was ending on a high note.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

That voice sent Izaya’s heart rate skyrocketing. He jolted to his feet and turned to the front door.

Standing in the doorway, with a face twisted with intense rage, was none other than the very person he didn’t want to see. Heiwajima Shizuo.

_ Oh shit... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please comment and kudos, I love reading them and it makes me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts!


	11. Chapter 11

It wasn’t as if Shizuo had gone straight to Celty and Shinra’s apartment, he had listened to his senpai’s advice. He walked straight home, ignoring the calls from Kadota and Simon on his way to the tiny apartment. 

Once he was there, he took a little while to just breathe, and drink a glass of milk he had bought the day before. He set the glass down on the rickety table, one he’d had to repair several times over, and let out a sigh.

Tom was right, of course he was. Taking a few hours to calm down had made him feel a lot less likely to destroy his friend’s apartment because he had seen her acting chummy with that damned flea! 

A growl rose up in his throat as he squeezed the glass milk bottle. Seconds later it shattered in his hand and sent shards tumbling all over the table and the floor. “Damn it!” He snarled, his frustration already mounting once more.

He squeezed his hands into fists, barely noticing how that made the glass in his hand dig into his skin. But as soon as he realized what he was doing, he hurriedly stopped. “No, no… I’m not mad at Celty, I’m mad at the louse. I need to stay calm when I talk to her.”

Looking down at the many small see-through shards on the floor, he let out an annoyed sigh. “And after I clean all this shit up…”

When everything was cleaned up, and his cut hand was haphazardly wrapped, he decided that it was time to go and see Celty. She should have gotten home by then, it was many hours since he had seen her driving past, so he could talk to her alone, without any interruptions from fleas.

Standing outside the underground doctor’s apartment, he rapped his knuckles against the door and waited. After a few moments, he frowned and scrunched up his nose. _It stinks… It stinks like…_

Celty opened the door before his thought could be completed, but it didn’t need to be. Not when he saw a disgustingly familiar figure on the other side of the door.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

The figure jolted to his feet and turned towards the door, and those damned red eyes met Shizuo’s enraged brown ones. 

Before he could storm into the apartment and kill the rotten bastard, Celty hurriedly stood in front of him with her PDA raised for Shizuo to read. Part of him wanted to grab the damn thing and throw it away, but he wanted to hurt the flea, not Celty, so he forced his eyes to scan the writing. 

**[Shizuo stop it! I know you’re angry but you can’t hurt him! I don’t want any fighting in this apartment, you hear me?!]**

“Why can’t I hurt him?! He’s a bastard, Celty! You know it and so do I! Whatever he said to try and get you to like him, it’s a goddamn lie!!” Shizuo furiously yelled as he stomped past her into the apartment.

The flea was quick to back away from him, until he was pressed against the sliding glass door and couldn’t go any further. There was fear in those red eyes, but Shizuo couldn’t tell who it was directed to… In fact, who cared who it was directed to? It was probably a lie!!

With a guttural roar he lifted the black couch and prepared to throw, but he was stopped once again by Celty. The Dullahan had positioned herself in front of the informant with her arms up, protectively shielding him from Shizuo’s rage.

“What the-” His grip on the black couch loosened the slightest bit. “Celty, what the hell are you doing?! Let me kill the rat bastard!”

**[No! You are going to put down that couch and you’re going to listen to what me and Izaya have to say!]** Celty firmly ordered him. **[If I have to trap you with my shadows to make you listen, I’ll do it! Don’t test me!]**

Shizuo and Celty remained in a standoff for almost a full minute, both of them too stubborn to back down. Behind the Dullahan, Izaya looked between them without saying a word, his hands hidden behind his back and his form shuddering.

In the end, it was Celty’s stubbornness which won. Shizuo let out a frustrated, but defeated, growl and set the couch back down. He remained on guard, crossing his arms in front of him. He didn’t sit or relax his form, he didn’t want to let Izaya think his guard was down, just in case the louse tried to stab him. “Talk.”

The debt collector watched as Izaya and Celty turned to face each other. Neither of them spoke, but it still seemed like they were somehow understanding one another. When their weird stare-talk had finished, it was Izaya who spoke first.

“Shizuo… I meant what I said when you ran into me before. I don’t want to fight you anymore.” He looked up at him with an earnest expression that was so genuine, Shizuo almost believed it was real.

The debt collector couldn’t stop himself from scoffing. “Very funny, what kinda trick is this?”

**[It’s not a trick!]**

“It’s ALWAYS a trick with him!

**[Well it’s not this time!]**

“You’re being fooled Celty, he just wants to use you!”

**[You don’t know what you’re talking about!!]**

“Yes I do!! He’s not your friend, he’s a fucking monster!”

“Stop it!!” Izaya’s voice suddenly came between them, his hand on Celty’s wrist as he gently pulled her away from Shizuo, as if he was protecting her. “Stop it Celty, please! You don’t need to get in a fight because of me!”

The Dullahan instantly whips around and shoves the PDA in the informant’s face, but he turns his eyes away without reading it. Despite his gaze never resting on the written words, he continued,”Shizuo has all the reason to hate me. There’s no reason to force a friendship, that will only do more harm than good. I’ll go home now.”

Celty reached out her hand to stop him, but Izaya walked dodge the hand and moved past Shizuo. He grabbed his clothing from Shinra, who had been nervously watching the exchange from the hallway, and left without another word.

The three people who remained in the apartment were silent as the door clicked shut, and Shizuo found himself growing even more confused. Izaya left just like that? No taunts or cruel jokes? No attempts to use that damned switchblade? What was going on?!

Shizuo didn’t get to ponder it peacefully for very long. Next to him, Celty wound her arm back and gave him a good, hard punch in the shoulder. When he cried out in surprise and turned to her, the PDA was already in his face.

**[You asshole! You said you would let us talk to you!!]**

“Well I wasn’t gonna listen if all he was planning to spew was bullshit!” He leaned forward for good measure, and to make sure his point got across. “Which it was!”

**[What?! Shizuo, I know he’s telling the truth, Izaya’s a changed person! He’s different than you remember!]**

Shizuo let out a frustrated growl and threw his hands up. “See?! This is exactly why I didn’t want to talk to you when he was here! He’s wormed his way into your mind, Celty, it’s all a big trick!” 

**[It’s not a trick, and if you trust me even the slightest bit you would calm down and let me explain why it isn’t, you stubborn idiot!]**

Even though Celty didn’t have a voice, Shizuo swore that he could hear the loyal ferocity in those words… Loyalty towards the flea, but why? Maybe it was shock, maybe it was curiosity, but either way he let his mouth click shut and slowly sat down on the couch.

Celty remained in her guarded stance for a few moments, like a cornered animal ready to strike if Shizuo said one more stupid thing. Eventually, when the debt collector kept his big mouth shut for an amount of time that seemed to satisfy Celty, she relaxed her stance and began to type.

**[Izaya was telling the truth, Shizuo. He doesn’t want to fight you anymore.]**

Shizuo didn’t believe her any more than he believed Izaya. “But _why?_ ” He threw his hands up in frustration. “He hates me, he loves making me miserable. Why would he just stop?! It doesn’t make any sense!”

He hated himself for admitting it, but that’s all he felt he could do. Izaya’s constant presence in his life had become something familiar, something he could expect to continue no matter what he tried to do to get rid of it. 

Seeing Izaya’s strange new behavior, and watching the flea walk away without even a glance back in his direction… It hurt and confused him more than he would like to admit. He just wanted to understand why.

Celty looked between him and her empty PDA for a few moments, and then seemed to release a sigh. **[I know it’s confusing, but I can try to explain to the best of my abilities. You just have to listen.]**

Shizuo kept his mouth shut, deciding it was better to listen before he went berserk again. 

**[You remember when Izaya went missing for that month?]** Shizuo nodded. **[Well, it was an informant job for Shiki. He got pretty injured, and he was helped out by a group of people. He became good friends with them, and they helped him to become a better person.]**

She motioned to herself with her free hand. **[We ended up becoming friends because of this. His personality is different, and he was actually caring about people. It’s amazing, Shizuo, it’s like I’m finally getting to see who he really was deep down!]**

“Is that why you were riding with him today? You guys were hanging out?” Shizuo questioned, trying to keep down the squash of jealousy he felt from Celty’s new friendship.

**[Kind of. That was for a job that Izaya is working on. Lately there’s been… Disappearances, people going missing. No bodies have been found, so we think it’s human trafficking.]**

“Oh… That’s awful…” Shizuo frowned. “How did Izaya get involved?”

Celty hesitated for a moment, and then typed another message. **[One of his friends, the ones I mentioned before, her sister went missing. He’s been trying to find any clue about what happened, but we hit pretty much a dead end today. He’s trying to hide it, but I know he’s really beat up about it.]**

Shizuo instantly felt guilt begin to build up inside of his stomach, like a heavy weight suddenly dropped. “O-oh…” He shuffled his feet. “So he really has changed… I guess he didn’t want to fight because of his friends?”

**[Yes, exactly. He doesn’t want them to worry more than they already are, his friend’s disappearance has shaken all of them.]**

The debt collector lowered his head, any doubt he had fading away. He trusted Celty’s judgement, and her story made sense. If she believed that Izaya had become a better person, maybe she was right.

He groaned and ran a hand through his blonde hair. “Damn it…” He growled. “I feel like an asshole now. I called him all those things, and he was actually trying to be nice. Why do I fuck up everything?”

**[Shizuo, don’t talk like that!]** Celty hit his shoulder and shook her finger. **[Yes, Izaya has changed, but you didn’t know that at first. After the rivalry you two shared, I’m not surprised that you didn’t believe us. But, now you know the truth, and you can do what you will with it.]**

The blonde nodded at her PDA, and looked to where the informant had exited the apartment. The guilt in his chest was still there, even after Celty’s comforting words. He knew what he needed to do, he needed to apologize.

Shizuo wasn’t sure what they would become now that their rivalry was obsolete, but he supposed he would just have to wait and find out.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Izaya knew he probably should have gone straight back to Shinjuku, just in case Shizuo decided to try and chase after him, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He wanted to be alone for a while, and deal with the pain Shizuo’s words had brought him.

He tried to not be too offended, he understood why the strong man was suspicious of his words. Izaya had never expected to change, it was just as surprising to him as it was for everyone else. But still…

For Shizuo to call him a monster, it hurt more than he would like to admit. Perhaps it was because he knew Shizuo was only human, while Izaya was something completely removed from that. _A monster?_ He thought about his pack, full of kind and caring wolves. _No, no… That’s not what I am, that’s not what any of us are._

His confused and pained thoughts were interrupted as a familiar, delicious smell caught the attention of his sensitive nose. He looked up and found himself standing across from Russian Sushi. His stomach growled eagerly, and he welcomed the distraction from his confusing mind.

He let his hands relax in his jacket pockets as he walked up the front door, where Simon was trying to hand out coupons to uninterested people. The young man who he was speaking to scurried away nervously, leaving Simon alone. When the Russian turned his gaze forward and noticed Izaya, his expression brightened.

“I-za-ya! Long time no sushi! Sushi miss you!” He held out a coupon with an air of familiarity, as if it hadn’t been over a month since he had seen Izaya. “You miss sushi too?”

The informant couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his face. “I did miss sushi, fatty tuna especially! I’d love some right now!” He sniffed again and grew even more excited, if his nose was correct then they had just gotten fresh fish.

Simon looked surprised for a mere moment, examining the grin on the informant’s face before he returned it with one of his own. “Yes! Month of no sushi, you need missing month sushi! Half-price deal, just for you!”

Izaya looked down at the coupon in his hand. “Simon, all the coupons say that sushi is half price.” 

“Half plus half price!”

The informant quirked an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that just be free food, then?”

Simon tilted his head and frowned, his eyes flickering as he tried to figure out what exactly he would charge Izaya for ‘half plus half’. Then he grinned again, and spread his hands out wide. “Seventy five percent off for missing month sushi!”

He ushered the informant inside and gave him his own booth. Once the raven had settled down, Simon glanced around, crouched down by the table, and faced Izaya with a more serious expression on his face.

“ _Is everything alright? You disappeared for a long time, I thought you got killed, and now you’re back, you have many scars, and acting strange_.” Simon asked in Russian, his conversational skills much better in his native language.

Izaya lifted his red eyes and scanned the Russian’s face, but all he could see was genuine concern. He knew Simon was only human, so he doubted the Russian had any suspicions about Izaya’s werewolf status.

He allowed himself a small smile as he dug up his own knowledge of Russian. “ _Don’t worry, Simon. I just had to disappear for a bit, I met some people who helped me get back on the right track_.”

“ _Oh!_ ” Simon gave him a curious look. “ _Does this mean that you are done trying to ransack this town?_ ”

Izaya hummed in thought. He hadn’t thought of that, he had been so busy with his job and his pack that his plans to try and awaken Celty’s head had nearly been forgotten. As he recalled them in that moment, he found that the plans didn’t bring him the glee they once did.

All of those plots left him feeling disgust for his former self. He didn’t want to hurt people anymore, he wanted to care for and protect his pack, something that his former self would never have cared to do. 

“ _Yes, Simon, I think that I am done._ ” He looked at the Russian with a determined expression. “ _I have people I care for now, and I want to be someone that they can be proud of._ ”

Simon’s expression went from curious to jovial in mere moments. “ _I’m really glad to hear that, Izaya. I had always feared that your cowardice would be your undoing, but I am proud that you were finally brave enough to let people in._ ”

A blush appeared on Izaya’s face, and he turned his eyes to the table. “ _...So am I…_ ”

“ _And you’d better bring them to Russian Sushi sometime, got it? I wanna meet them and thank them for helping you._ ”

Izaya chuckled and nodded his head, amused by the Russian’s eagerness. “ _I will, Simon, I promise_.”

The Russian gave one final grin before he stood up. “Wonderful!” He exclaimed in Japanese. “It’s time to start missing month sushi! I will be back soon!”

Alone in the booth, Izaya allowed himself to relax after such a long day. His shoulder twinged from where Tom had bitten him, his feet hurt from all the running around, and his headache was very prominent thanks to all the new information he had received. 

_At least the day is over…_ He slumped forward slightly, rubbing a hand through his hair. _I wish I could have found Bashira, but at least I have people who can help me look for her now. The Madame, Celty, the other vampire clans..._

His stomach let out a growl of protest, no longer wanting to think about any of that stuff and instead focus on eating. He let out a weak chuckle as he found himself agreeing. _Yes, it’s time to stop thinking about that for now, let’s just relax…_

A shadow of a figure appeared on the table Izaya was sitting at. He blinked slowly and glanced up to see who it was. Instantly, his heart was racing with panic. He jumped to his feet and backed up against the small room’s wall. “Sh-Shizuo!”

Shizuo looked surprised by Izaya’s panicked behavior, and then was guilty moments after. He rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. “Ah… Sorry, I probably should have warned you it was me…”

Izaya tried to quell the panic that gripped his heart and kept his hands hidden behind his back. When Shizuo had been preparing to attack him in Shinra’s apartment, they had begun to turn into claws, he needed to make sure they couldn’t be seen in case there was a repeat incident.

“What are you doing here, Shizuo?” The werewolf suspiciously asked.

Shizuo shuffled his feet and looked around the booth. “Um… Well… I came to find you because…” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Because… I want to apologize… To you.”

Izaya frowned and tilted his head, waiting for the other shoe to drop. When Shizuo just looked at him expectantly, Izaya couldn’t stop himself from raising his eyebrows in surprise. “You’re… You’re serious?”

The debt collector looked away, a pink blush dusting his cheek. “I- I wouldn’t be doing it if I wasn’t serious… I’m not a manipulative bastard like you…”

The informant hummed and crossed his arms, thankful that the claws were gone again. “Wow, that’s quite an apology, Shizu-chan. I’m deeply moved,” He deadpanned.

The blonde instantly bristled. “Hey! You stupid-” He cut himself off with a growl. “I only found out you’re not an asshole anymore like an hour ago, gimme a break…”

Izaya held back any more snarky remarks that he wanted to make as he slowly moved to sit back down and motioned to the other side of the table. Shizuo hesitated, and then allowed himself to sit across from the informant.

The tension in the room increased tenfold as Shizuo sat rigidly and silently tried to work up the courage to speak. Izaya was quiet as well, he was afraid that if he spoke he would make the debt collector angry, so instead he observed.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he seemed to finally find the bravery. “I’m sorry… F-for trying to attack you, and not letting you talk and explain yourself. It was wrong of me to not even give you a chance, especially after Celty vouched for you.” He quickly lifted his head and glared at Izaya. “But I’m not sorry for all the other stuff, you deserved it then.”

Izaya snorted and let out a laugh. “Oh, don’t worry Shizu-chan, I didn’t expect you to apologize for all that. I should apologize to you, I was the one who was doing it to get a rise out of you. I shouldn’t have sent those gangs after you, or taunted you, or any of the dozen things I did. I’m really sorry, but you don’t have to forgive me. I wouldn’t if I was in your shoes.”

When he glanced upwards, he found Shizuo staring at him with a bewildered expression. When their eyes met, Shizuo quickly looked away and ran a hand through his messy bangs. “Damn… Celty wasn’t kidding. You really have changed…” 

“Oh, you listened to Celty, did you?” Izaya asked in a teasing tone.

Shizuo grumbled under his breath as he shrugged his shoulders. “She got really mad at me after you left, and told me everything. About your friends and the missing person.” He shuddered. “So people are disappearing again? Why am I only hearing about this from you two and not the news?”

Izaya was thankful that he and Celty had come up with an excuse for that already. “W-well that’s because they’re taking people from a specific group of people. People that you wouldn’t notice were missing unless you knew them, people who live on the fringes of society.”

“Like your friend’s sister?” Shizuo asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yes. Sayuri and her sister are technically runaways, they ran away from a bad home and lived on the streets for a while. They’re doing much better now, but they have no family that would have noticed their absence. If my friend had gotten taken as well, we may not have found out for a long time.”

That was a slight lie on Izaya’s part. With werewolves going missing as often as they were, Jinsei likely would have tried to find Sayuri and Bashira right away. But the end result would have been the same as it was with only Bashira missing, they had reached a dead end.

“Oh, I see…” Shizuo scratched his nail against the table. “But Celty said you guys hit a dead end?”

Izaya wished he could tell Shizuo to drop the subject, the reminder of his failure hurt him more than when the debt collector insulted him, but he didn't want to shatter the tentative trust that they held. 

“We followed all the leads we had, spoke to people who may have seen her, but we found nothing. I tried to use camera footage, but someone had deleted it before I got to it.” He frowned and let out a small growl. “Whoever is doing this either is very careful, or they know that me and Celty are onto them.”

“Or both,” Shizuo suggested.

Izaya made an amused noise. “Or both, but I would like to hope that isn’t the case. I’ve already disappeared for a month, I don’t want to be kidnapped for even longer.”

The debt collector across from him let out an amused chuckle, it was soft and sent Izaya’s heart fluttering the slightest bit. The blonde looked up at Izaya and nodded his head. “Yeah, I don’t think that would be very fun.”

They descended into silence again, and Shizuo seemed to be thinking once more. “Well… Maybe I could help you search.” At Izaya’s surprised face, he quickly continued,”I-I mean I’m not a courier like Celty or some tech wiz like you, but I could keep my eyes out for anything suspicious.”

“Really?” Izaya asked hopefully, unable to stop the grin that appeared on his face. “Oh, Shizu-chan, that would be amazing! Thank you!”

The blonde’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned a bright red color. He quickly turned away and shrugged. “It’s nothing crazy, I just thought I could try and help to make up for being an ass…” He muttered under his breath.

At the sight of his blush, Izaya felt his heart flutter once more. “I… W-well I appreciate it either way. The more eyes we have on the situation, the better.”

It was at that moment that Simon returned, holding a giant plate with dozens of pieces of fatty tuna. “Oh, Shi-zu-o! You are just in time for missing month sushi! Sushi good! You can share!” 

Izaya and Shizuo’s eyes bulged at the sight of the plate. “S-simon! That’s way too much! I don’t think either of us can eat all that much!” Izaya stuttered out as the plate landed on the table with a thud.

“Then take leftovers! Sushi miss I-za-ya! Can’t say no to sushi!” He grinned and gave a thumbs up. “Will go get tea, tea goes good with missing month sushi!”

Shizuo glanced at the huge plate and then at Simon’s retreating form. “Holy shit… He’d better not bring back a ten gallon bucket of ‘missing month tea’ or some shit.”

Izaya snorted and then burst out into a peal of giggles, which was soon followed by Shizuo’s own laughter. It took the two of them several seconds to contain themselves, and by then Izaya was wiping tears out of the corners of his eyes.

The informant grabbed a piece of fatty tuna with his chopsticks and pointed at Shizuo. “I didn’t know protozoans could have a sense of humor!”

Shizuo smirked, catching onto the fact that Izaya was merely joking. “And I didn’t know that blood-sucking fleas could have a change of heart.”

They shared a smile as Shizuo helped Izaya try to make a dent in the sushi. The tension in the air was gone, replaced by something that neither of them knew how to describe. But they both found that they enjoyed it much more than the rivalry they used to have.

Their gentle peace was interrupted by a ringing from Izaya’s phone. He looked at the caller ID, and found that it was Eiji. Worried about his pack, he was quick to press the green call button. “Eiji-kun? Is everything okay?”

“Not really… Sayuri is still really beat up about everything that happened. Have… Have you found anything?”

Izaya felt guilt pool up in his chest as he slumped his shoulders and let out a sad sigh. “No, I didn’t. I found some footage of her by the bay, but all the other cameras in the area were wiped clean. I’m so sorry… I- I’m gonna keep trying though.”

Shizuo looked up from his tea, his eyebrows furrowing at the sight of Izaya’s distraught expression. 

“It’s okay, Izzy. With all the disappearances, I’m surprised you found anything at all. Don’t beat yourself up over it too much, okay?” Eiji ordered.

Izaya made a noise of agreement, not trusting his voice to not betray him by cracking.

There was shuffling on the other side of the phone. “I’m also calling because of something else. Jinsei is really beat up about this, you know how protective he can be and Bashira being missing is really hurting him.” He cleared his throat. “He wanted to keep an eye on everyone for a few days and wanted to know if we could all stay at his apartment. Do you think you would be able to do that?”

Izaya didn’t even need to think about it. “Of course I can! Let Jinsei know that I’ll be there soon. I just need to pack a bag of clothes and stuff and I’ll be on my way.”

Eiji made a relieved noise. “I’ll let him know, thanks Izzy. See you soon.”

The line went dead, and Izaya was quick to stand up and stretch. “Sorry, Shizu-chan, I have to go. My friends and I are gonna stay with each other tonight and keep Sayuri company. She’s still really beat up about everything, it’s best if we’re all together.”

“It sounds like you’re pretty beat up about it, too.” Shizuo casually observed.

Izaya froze, briefly wondering if he should deny it. But the pain in his heart managed to win the fight. “I… I just…” He sighed and lowered his head. “I should have been able to find her, Shizu-chan… I’m one of the best informant brokers, and I couldn’t find her…”

“I heard what your friend told you, flea,” Shizuo replied, his voice firm. “He’s right, you can’t beat yourself up about this. You hit a dead end, but that doesn’t mean she’s gone forever. But if you run yourself into the ground, you’ll be too exhausted to find anything.”

The informant stared at Shizuo in surprise, and then let out a huff of air. “I know… You’re both right.” He let out a small smile. “You’re surprisingly wise for a protozoan, Shizu-chan.”

“And you’re surprisingly selfless for a flea, _Izzy._ ”

Izaya’s stomach was suddenly filled with butterflies as his heart thundered against his chest and his cheeks were bright red. He quickly grabbed the to-go box he had asked for earlier and muttered a hurried goodbye before hurrying out of the store.

Shizuo watched the other man go with a blush on his own cheeks. He hadn’t meant to use the nickname he had overheard, it had just slipped out. But somehow the shortened name fit better than calling him a flea or a louse. 

He thought about the informant’s reaction, the blush on those pale cheeks, the smile from the joke he made earlier, his laugh… He let out a growl as his own blush got worse. “Damn it…” He muttered as he hurried out of the sushi shop as well, grumbling all the way home as he tried to work out his own confusing feelings.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

The green van had been stuck in traffic for several hours, leaving the four occupants exhausted after a busy workday. Saburo tried to keep his eyes open and on the road while Kadota blinked drowsily, and Walker slept with his head against the window. 

Erika was the only one awake, scrolling down her phone calmly until she suddenly stopped and her jaw dropped. A high pitched screech echoed in the van, and the three other occupants found themselves jerked awake, their ears ringing from the abrupt and violent noise.

Kadota spun around and glanced back at the wide eyed woman, prepared to fight whoever caused her to scream. “Erika! What is it, what’s going on?!”

The girl stared at her phone with her jaw dropped. “I knew it… I knew it!!” She whipped the phone around and shoved it at Kadota. “Look at it! I WAS RIGHT!”

Kadota, Walker, and Saburo all leaned forward to glance at the image on the screen and found it to be a captioned image of none other than the mortal enemies, Izaya and Shizuo, sitting together and laughing like they had never tried to kill each other.

The caption above the photo read “Orihara Izaya and Heiwajima Shizuo, no longer enemies?”

“Holy shit…” Kadota and Saburo whispered.

Erika’s only response to that was a victorious squeal.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Jinsei’s apartment was only a few buildings down from his bookstore, on the eleventh floor of a large building. It wasn’t as large as Izaya’s own penthouse, but was still quite spacious and had more than enough room for the weakened pack.

Despite the fact it was still a few weeks until the full moon, none of the pack particularly minded staying with their pack leader. Though not all of them voiced it, Bashira’s sudden disappearance had left them all afraid. They were scared of being taken, scared of losing someone else.

In the darkness of the living room, a pile of wolves lay curled up on a pile of blankets and pillows. The record player played a random song at a low volume as background noise, helping to quell the fear they all felt.

In her sleep, Sayuri began to twitch and whimper. Sometimes her legs would thrash for a second, and she would call out her missing sister’s name in a desperate plea. But no matter how much she cried the name, Bashira did not appear.

Blinking sleep from his eyes, Izaya twitched his ears and looked towards the ginger wolf. He maneuvered his way out from under Eiji’s heavy form and stumbled over, letting his muzzle rest on the soft ginger fur. 

With the moon as a witness, the black werewolf began to glow a gentle white light. Small white lights that looked like stars floated from his glow and fluttered down, landing on the ginger wolf’s head and allowing a gentle glow to appear. The girl’s twitching began to calm down, her twisted expression relaxing as her terrible nightmare was replaced by a calming dream.

The glow faded away, but Izaya didn’t move. Eiji, who soon noticed the absence of Izaya’s warm fur, soon followed and settled himself next to Sayuri’s back with their fur touching. Yuina was already resting next to Sayuri, but gave the ginger fur a gentle lick. Mizuki and Shiro, curled up together, rested by the girl’s back paws.

Awake and aware, Jinsei watched with pride as the pack formed a protective circle around the young werewolf. He was not a part of the pile, instead sitting just a few feet ahead. He formed a protective barrier between the pack and the front door.

His eyes scanned his pups, and landed on Izaya with a curious gaze. Although Izaya was too exhausted to realize what he had done, Jinsei had seen the whole thing. He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.

“A dream weaver in my pack… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one...” He smiled at Izaya’s slumbering form, and looked up towards the moon. “But somehow, I don’t find myself the least bit surprised that you chose him.”

With one last prideful gaze towards his pack, Jinsei settled down with his face towards the door and let his eyes slowly close, following the rest of his small family into a peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please comment and kudos, I love reading them and it makes me feel like I'm not writing for ghosts!


	12. Chapter 12

“A Dream Weaver?”

Izaya watched from where stood by the counter as Jinsei bustled around the kitchen, busy creating a large breakfast for their small pack. Always a light sleeper, Izaya awoke to the sound easily. 

Jinsei didn’t seem to mind the company, as he was eager to talk to Izaya about the strange ability he had witnessed the informant use the day before. He walked over and placed a cutting board with scallions and a knife in front of Izaya before he returned to his pan of sizzling fish.

“Yes, that’s what it’s called. It’s… Well, it’s something that doesn’t happen often.” Jinsei flipped the fish over in the pan. “You know how our powers come from the moon, yes?”

Izaya nodded his head as he finished chopping the scallions. “I remember, the grey wolf that taught me and the others healing said that she watched over us, and that we were the moon’s children… But I thought healing was our only power?”

Jinsei finished the fish and took the pan off the heat. “Well, I’m not too sure about that. Most otherworlders have several powers at their disposal. But many of ours were forgotten as time went past, such as healing. But Dream Weavers… That is hard to forget.”

Izaya moved to grab plates from the cupboards, helping to plate the large breakfast. His curiosity was brimming at this point, so he hurried to finish his task as fast as possible. “But what is a Dream Weaver?”

“Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s the ability to access dreams and to help people fall asleep. Last night, I watched you use those powers to help Sayuri. She was having a nightmare, you went right over to her and changed it into a good dream, she slept peacefully the rest of the night.”

The informant frowned, scrunching up his nose in thought. “I… I did?” He looked towards Sayuri, who was still slumbering with a content expression on her face. “I don’t even remember doing that…”

His elderly pack leader let out an amused chuckle. “I’m not surprised, you were almost completely asleep when you did it. It must have been on instinct.” He finished setting out the steaming breakfast and looked towards Izaya with a smile. “But don’t worry, I can help you learn to use it.”

“You’re a Dream Weaver too?” Izaya excitedly questioned. 

Jinsei laughed again and shook his head. “Oh no, no. Dream Weavers are rare, there’s one every generation or few generations. I was never lucky enough to be chosen, but my wife was…”

This was the first time Izaya had heard of Jinsei’s wife, the man had never even mentioned being married. He wore a wedding ring, but Izaya never said anything out of respect for his pack leader. “Oh… She was?” 

Jinsei nodded. “It was a long, long time ago. I was a young man when I joined her pack to be with her. She was not shy about her ability, she loved it. There was a time before I left the pack that we had many young pups, and they all had awful nightmares. She always made sure their dreams were good before sleeping herself.”

His face was bright as he remembered his wife, and he looked at Izaya with a happy expression. “I know she is looking down on us from paradise and is very happy. She had expressed to me that she wanted to live to meet the next Dream Weaver of our pack, but she was not so lucky.”

His pack leader’s happy expression fell, and Izaya felt his own mood dampen as well. “Y-you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Jinsei…” He carefully said, his hand on the old man’s shoulder.

Jinsei sighed and shook his head. “No, no. All the others know the story, it is only right that you do as well. You are one of us.”

“Back when wolves still roamed this country, our pack lived out in the countryside. The farmers had started to try to kill our kind, and we were trying to fight back. I had an idea, I wanted to attack the cattle and damage the fields. I thought we could send a message and they would leave us alone…” He sighed and shook his head. “Our pack leader said no, but I was a reckless and stubborn pup.”

He looked down at the breakfast plates and closed his eyes. “Me and Aika, my wife, we did it together. We thought we’d won, but our tracks led the farmers right to our hideout. They killed so many of us… I had just about escaped, but when I turned around I saw Aika was still in the den, she was trying to save the kids but… They…” He winced at the memory that hit him. “Those farmers killed her, and then the pups too…”

Izaya shuddered at the thought. He was reminded of the man’s reaction to Bashira’s disappearance. He had been utterly destroyed, which was why he had been so adamant on having the pack stay at his apartment. After living through such a tragedy, the possibility of losing any of his packmates must be a grim reminder of that time.

It took the old man at least a minute to gather his wits once more. When he opened his eyes, Izaya could see the misty texture of them. “A-after that, I was forced to leave the pack. I mourned her, and then ran to Tokyo. I decided I would start my own pack, and I would do what Aika had done. I would protect my pack no matter what, even if it meant my death.”

The informant broker squeezed the old man’s shoulder, reminding him that he was still there. “Thank you for telling me, Jinsei.” He gave the best supportive grin he could. “I’ll be happy if I can be half the Dream Weaver that Aika-san was.”

Jinsei smiled at him, his eyes crinkling upward with glee. “Thank you, Izaya. My methods may be a little old fashioned, considering it was over a hundred years ago, but I will do my best to teach you until we can meet the other packs and see if anyone else has a Dream Weaver.”

“The other packs? Are we going to meet with them and-” Izaya suddenly froze. “Wait… One hundred years?! How old are you?!”

The old man just smirked and shrugged his shoulders. “Vampires aren’t the only ones with longer lifespans, pup.” He walked around the counter and clapped his hands. “Alright, everybody up!”

As the pack started to rise, Izaya found himself left in awe. Shiro and Mizuki had taught him a lot about the new world he was a part of, but when he looked at the pack leader, he realized that there was still so much he had to learn.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Izaya didn’t venture outside of the apartment very much for about a week, none of the pack did. Jinsei closed down the bookstore with a promise to still pay Shiro and Mizuki their usual wages, Yuina managed to work from the apartment, Eiji didn’t have a job to worry about. Izaya didn’t have to worry about Shiki, as the man was satisfied with Izaya’s reports about the camera footage.

They spent the week relaxing as much as they could. Shiro and Mizuki would walk Sayuri to her classes, and they’d spend the rest of the day relaxing. Izaya helped Yuina with her editing, which the young woman was very appreciative about. Eiji, upon discovering that Izaya barely knew how to cook, made it his mission to teach him. 

The only person who knew exactly where he had vanished was Celty, who immediately understood and merely asked to meet the pack before they all separated again. Jinsei eagerly agreed and even tried to make an Irish meal for her before Izaya awkwardly explained her lack of a head.

As the sun rose into the sky, Izaya found himself standing outside of Russian Sushi with his eye on the clock, waiting for Celty to arrive so she could finally meet the pack.

_ Okay so Yuina is the editor, Eiji does his own thing, Jinsei runs the bookstore and… This is too much to remember! Izaya, I’m gonna mess it all up! _ Celty frantically fretted next to the werewolf, who was happily eating his fatty tuna from a takeout box.

He quickly set down the piece he was about to eat, and gently patted her shoulder. “Celty, it’s okay. I promise they’ll love you, they’re all so excited to meet you! Especially Jinsei and Yuina, both of them love mythology! When I told them you were a Dullahan they almost fainted from happiness!”

Celty’s shoulders shook with laughter, before she froze up again.  _ I don’t know… This is the first time I’m going to meet a group of people… People like me, supernatural creatures. What if I’m not good enough for them? _

“You don’t have to be ‘good enough’. My pack doesn’t care about that, they want to meet you for  _ you _ , nothing else!” Izaya gave a mischievous grin and wiggled his fingers. “And if any of them hurt your feelings, I’ll put them to sleep and give them nightmares!”

The Dullahan laughed again, and this time she remained relaxed even after her laughter had ended. The informant was relieved, he didn’t want his friend to worry too much about the meeting, he knew his pack would love her.

As the breeze blew against the two of them, Izaya’s sensitive nose caught the scent of someone familiar. He turned around just in time to see Tom and Shizuo approaching them. Instead of the usual angry expression that Shizuo wore when he saw Izaya, he seemed relaxed and welcoming.

“Hi Shizu-chan, hi Tom!” Izaya cheerfully called with a wave.

Shizuo stopped a few feet in front of them, and nodded his head. “Good to see you guys.” He looked towards Izaya and tilted his head slightly. “If it weren’t for Celty, I would have thought you disappeared again, Izzy.”

“Ah, well, you know…” Izaya blushed and shoved his hands in his pockets with a shrug. “It’s been a rough week, still no sign of the missing people.”

The blonde man’s expression turned sour. “That’s not good…” He looked back at Tom and shook his head. “I haven’t seen anything either. I mean, there have been suspicious people, but none of them knew anything about the missing persons.”

“Well, I still appreciate the help searching, Shizu-chan!” He gave the blonde a grin. “Remind me to treat you to some dessert or whatever protozoans like to eat as thanks.”

Tom momentarily looked nervous about Izaya’s teasing, but when Shizuo chuckled in response he quickly calmed down. Izaya knew that the man felt guilty about hiding his werewolf status from Shizuo, especially now that he knew others around Shizuo were keeping the same secrets.

“So where are you two headed?” Shizuo questioned the duo.

[I’m going to meet Izaya’s friends!] Celty excitedly said, so fast that Izaya bet she had already been planning to gush about it.  **[They knew I helped him search and they wanted to thank me, and one of Izaya’s friends runs an antique bookstore! He knows about Dullahans, Shizuo!! Maybe he knows more about my kind!]**

At the mention of Jinsei and his knowledge of mythical creatures, Shizuo’s face broke out into a huge grin. “That sounds awesome! That’s very nice of you, Izzy.” 

Izaya blushed again at the nickname, which caused a similar pink hue to appear on Shizuo’s cheeks. There was a moment of awkward silence with both Tom and Celty glancing between them curiously.

Before anyone could say anything, a high pitched squeal interrupted all their thoughts. Both Izaya and Tom, with their sensitive hearing, quickly covered their ears and looked around for the painful sound.

Coming out of Russian Sushi was none other than the Van Gang, with a very starstruck looking Erika in the front. She sprinted forward and hugged both Izaya and Shizuo, forcing the already blushing men closer to each other.

“I knew it! I knew it!” Erika exclaimed with glee. “Everyone said you two would always hate each other, but I never gave up! I knew that love would prevail!!”

Shizuo’s face turned an ever deeper shade of red as he wrenched himself out of the fanatic hold. “What the hell are you talking about?! Me and the flea?! Are you an idiot or something?!”

Erika’s grip on Izaya tightened further to make up for losing Shizuo. “Ahh! Do you see that, Iza-Iza! Your tsundere boyfriend is acting like he doesn’t like you, but the blush on his face shows I’m right! And one night underneath the fireworks you will confess your love to each other and have deep, passionate-”

“OH-KAY. That’s enough!” Kadota’s voice cut through the woman’s squeals. He managed to free Izaya from her clutches. “Erika, just because Izaya and Shizuo aren’t fighting anymore doesn’t mean they are… I-It just means they’re both adult enough to learn to get along!”

Erika giggled and pointed at both of them. “Dotachin, how can you say that when you see their faces? They’re both so blushy~ It’s true love, I know it is!”

Izaya blush only got worse, and he cursed Erika for making a scene in such a public place. His hands itched with the desire to call on his Dream Weaver powers and knock the girl out, just long enough to make his pounding heart calm down.

Thankfully, Saburo came to their rescue once more. He placed his hands on the woman’s shoulders and steered her away. “Maybe they’re blushing because you made a gigantic scene! Now come on, let’s go back to the van before you get so loud that people in Hokkaido can hear it!”

Kadota waited until the squealing woman was at a distance before turning to Izaya and Shizuo. “Sorry about that… Ever since the rumors started spreading, she’s been a maniac.” He turned towards Izaya specifically. “Is it true, are you done fighting?”

Izaya knew the reason that Kadota turned to him was because Izaya was at fault for all of it, but he ignored the suspicions, he knew he deserved them. “It’s true. My month away gave me quite the reality check. I’m done messing with people, I have people I care about now. I want to be someone they can be proud of.”

The beanie clad man looked briefly surprised by Izaya’s genuine response. He stared at the informant for a few moments, gauging the truth in his words, and then a satisfied smile appeared on his face. “Must have been quite the adventure. I’d love to hear about it sometime.”

“I wouldn’t mind sharing the story sometime,” Izaya easily responded.

Looking even happier, Kadota nodded his head. “I’ll hold you to that.” He turned towards where his group had hurried off and gave a wave. “Goodbye, see you guys later.”

Once the commotion had died down, and the people on the streets stopped staring, the group of four found themselves falling into an awkward silence once more. None of them knew exactly what to say, and it seemed like Tom and Celty were more focused on what Izaya or Shizuo may do.

Eventually, Shizuo cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “So… Um… I was thinking it was kind of enjoyable when we hung out at Russian Sushi. Maybe we could do something like that again…?”

Izaya felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter as his smile returned. “I… Y-yes. I would like that very much, Shizu-chan.”

Shizuo’s nervous expression relaxed and his shoulders slumped with obvious relief. “Good. I-I would like that too.” He smiled slightly, and looked back at Tom. “W-well I have go back to work. I’ll text you, okay?”

“O-okay…” Izaya stuttered out as he watched Shizuo walk away, his heart pounding against his chest, and feelings he had buried a long time ago suddenly resurfacing. He didn’t know where this new friendship with Shizuo would go, but he had secret hopes…

He let out a soft sigh and looked towards Celty. The helmet watched him peculiarly, and despite the fact that his friend didn’t have a face, Izaya somehow knew exactly what her expression would have been.

“Celty....”

_ So…. You and Shizuo, huh? _

“Time to go!” Izaya quickly exclaimed, and hurried towards the direction of Jinsei’s apartment with a giggling Celty trailing behind.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

As soon as Celty walked through the doors to the apartment, she discovered that her worries about being shunned were unfounded. The group of werewolves eagerly welcomed her inside with an air of familiarity, as if they had known her all her life and weren’t meeting her for the very first time.

Izaya took her hand and led her to the living room where everyone was waiting. “Everyone, this is my friend, Celty Sturluson.” He motioned to the werewolves. “Celty, this is my pack. Jinsei, Shiro, Mizuki, Sayuri, Eiji, and Yuina.”

With a shaky hand, Celty gave the group an awkward wave.  _ Um… Hello! It’s… It’s nice to meet you all! T-thank you for letting me come and meet you... _

Jinsei seemed to recognize that she was nervous. He gave her a comforting grin and moved forward and bowed to her, the excitement in his eyes reminding Celty more of a puppy than an old werewolf. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Celty-san! I’ve never met a Dullahan before, but I am overjoyed we got to meet today! I am even happier to call you an honorary pack member!”

Celty felt her black smoke puff up in her version of a blush.  _ Well, I’m thankful that you all trusted me enough to let me come meet you! _ In a moment of bravery, she reached up and pulled her helmet off, letting all the werewolves see her headless form.

The werewolves didn’t look at her with fear, but instead with awe. Unlike humans, their awe faded away quickly, but the kindness they showed her remained just as prevalent. The young editor, Yuina, looked at her with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

“Celty-san! You’re so beautiful!” She exclaimed as she closed her laptop and reached into her bag, pulling out a worn, tattered sketchbook. Her pencil furiously ran across the page, with her dark eyes glowing with determination.

The Dullahan watched her curiously while Izaya leaned closer to her. “Yuina is a manga editor, but what she really wants to do is make her own manga. She always carries around a sketchbook, just in case she gets inspired.”

Celty felt her heart soar as she realized what Izaya was implying, that Yuina had been inspired by  _ her _ . She found the bravery to leave the informants side and walk over to the young woman. She sat down next to her so she could watch as the woman sketched out a drawing of the Dullahan. 

It was rough and quickly drawn, but Celty was amazing by just how good it looked. Once she set the pencil down, Yuina looked up at her hopefully. The Dullahan quickly gave her two thumbs up.  _ It’s amazing!! One of the best drawings that I’ve seen!! _

“Really?” Yuina queried with a hopeful glance at her, but she quickly faltered and shook her head. “No… You’re just saying that…”

Celty waved her hands.  _ No I’m not, I’m telling the truth! It looks exactly like me, you even got all the helmet markings right! You’re going to be a great manga writer some day! _

The young woman with ginger hair, who Izaya had called Sayuri, leaned over the side of the couch and gave Yuina a smile. “She’s right, Yuina. Your drawings have always been amazing, I bet your manga will be more popular than One Piece!”

To the Dullahan’s curiosity, Sayuri’s proximity to Yuina made the editor’s cheeks turn bright pink with blush. It reminded her of the way Izaya and Shizuo interacted with each other now that they were no longer enemies.

Sayuri looked up at Celty and gave the woman a smile, but the Dullahan could see the sadness hidden inside her eyes. “Um… Izzy told me about how you helped him search for my sister.” She bowed slightly, her messy ginger locks falling in her face. “Thank you…”

_ Of course, Sayuri-chan. I’m just sorry that we weren’t able to find her. But don’t worry, we’ll keep searching! _ Celty promised, clenching her fists in a show of determination.

The young werewolf’s smile faltered the slightest bit. “Thank you, Celty… I… I don’t think you’ll find her, but thank you for continuing to look…” Her eyebrows furrowed, and she hugged herself tightly. “I… Izzy… Can you help me go back to sleep? After you left, the nightmares came back…”

Celty looked up at Izaya, who was standing between Shiro and Mizuki. His expression instantly became a concerned one. “Sayuri-chan, I think it would be better to wait until it’s night time, that way your sleep schedule stays on track.”

The ginger werewolf’s expression grew frustrated for the slightest moment before she sighed and nodded. “I guess you’re right…” 

Yuina looked up at the college student and placed her hand on hers. “How about you show me that anime you said you found a few weeks ago? I’ve been waiting to watch it with you since you mentioned it.”

Sayuri seemed to realize that Yuina was just trying to help her cheer up, but she still nodded and stood up. “Okay. I’ll go get my laptop, I have the episodes downloaded onto it already.” She left down the hall, and disappeared into a room.

Celty looked towards where she had disappeared and then walked over to the informant.  _ Izaya… What did she mean by you helping her go back to sleep? _

Izaya exchanged a worried glance with Mizuki and Shiro. “Well… Ever since we found out I was a Dream Weaver, Sayuri has been asking me to help her sleep. It started off innocent enough, but she’s been asking a lot. I think she’s trying to use it to avoid the pain she feels from losing Bashira.”

“It’s not healthy for her to sleep so much, so we’re trying to do what we can until it’s actually time to sleep. Izaya can help with her nightmares then, but her wanting to sleep the rest of the day…” Mizuki frowned and shook her head. “It worries me…”

Sayuri returned to the living room with her laptop, and they quickly changed the conversation. The young woman didn’t seem to mind. She sat on the couch with Yuina, who set the laptop on both their laps, and gave each of them a headphone. With Sayuri being comforted by the editor, Celty felt comfortable enough to go meet the others. 

Eiji was in the kitchen, a large pot sitting on the stove and steam exiting from under the pot lid. He looked up as they arrived and grinned. “Izzy! You’re just in time, I need you to cook the beef for the stew, just like I taught you, okay?”

Next to her, Izaya sniffed the air and made a happy noise. “That smells good, Eiji. Did you use garlic and rosemary this time?” He asked as he crossed over to the pan.

“Yes! I also added a bit of red wine, to help all the flavors,” The man eagerly explained as he added slices of celery to the pot.

Celty looked between the two werewolves curiously. _ Is it ever annoying to have such a good sense of smell?  _ She asked.

Izaya was extremely focused on cutting the beef, so it was Eiji who answered. “Well, yes, especially when you live in a city. There’s a lot of smells, and often a lot of bad smells, so it can be very overwhelming. But the pros outweigh the cons, at least in my opinion.”

Eiji pointed to the pot. “It definitely helps with cooking, and with tracking people down. Everyone has their own distinct scent, and once you know it, it’s easy to recognize people just by their smell.”

_ Oh! That’s how you knew that Shizuo was coming! Right, Izaya? _ The informant nodded, and Celty couldn’t stop herself from asking more.  _ What does Shizuo smell like? _

Izaya’s cheeks turned the slightest hue of red. “W-well… It’s weird. He smokes so much, it’s hard to smell anything else. But underneath that is milk and strawberries. 

_ And me? _ Celty pointed at herself.

Eiji and Izaya both sniffed the air. Eiji looked curious at the scent he caught, while Izaya nodded as though he was reconfirming what he already knew.

“You smell like fresh rain, and a forest breeze. It’s a very fresh scent, and it’s always there,” Izaya explained as he finished cutting the beef and added it to the pan. “I couldn’t be sure, but I think it’s related to you being a Dullahan.”

In the corner of her field of vision, she saw Jinsei approach. “Exactly, Izaya-kun. A lot of supernatural creatures have a distinct smell. With werewolves you will often be able to tell what pack they belong to by their smell, vampires usually smell like blood, and selkies often smell like the ocean.”

Wow… Do any other otherworlders smell as good as werewolves do? Celty questioned as she looked towards the wise Jinsei.

Eiji made a triumphant noise as he leaned back. “Vampires have good noses, and so do selkies, but nobody is as close as us! We have the best noses of all the supernaturals on Earth!” He confidently declared. “And my sense of smell is even better! That’s why I make the food, I’m the best chef in the pack!”

Izaya’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “That may be true… But are you sure there's nothing wrong with your nose, Eiji?”   
  


“Erm… No?”

“Oh, you sure?” Izaya questioned again. “Because… Your shirt is kind of getting lit on fire.”

Eiji, who had been leaning against the stove, yelped in surprise and jumped away from the flame. The back of his shirt was burned black and smoking slightly. He looked up and Izaya and growled. “What the hell?! Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Izaya smirked playfully and shrugged. “Well, I thought that mister chef would be focusing on the food instead of bragging about our almighty noses!”

In a burst of bright light, Celty had to hurriedly dodge as Eiji and Izaya shifted forms at the same time. The informant hurriedly scrambled away and toward the living with Eiji on his heels, their claws scratching against the hardwood floors. There was a crashing noise that made Celty flinch, but none of the werewolves even batted an eye.

Jinsei let out a chuckle as he moved to take over the cooking. “Don’t worry, Celty-san. Eiji and Izaya are just roughhousing, they’ll calm down eventually.” He added the cuts of beef to the large pot and turned the fire to a simmer. “Usually I’d be a little more annoyed, but with the disappearances happening, I’m glad they are taking the time to have fun and not worry.”

Celty listened to the crashing for a moment longer before she walked up to Jinsei _. Do you think Sayuri is right? Is… Is there no way we’re going to find Bashira? _ She asked, hating that she would dampen the mood but unable to stop the question.

Jinsei stirred the stew a little as a frown emerged on his face. “I... Well… It’s just…” He sighed and shook his head. “Dozens of werewolves have disappeared, Celty-san, and none of them have been found. As much as I wish we could find her, I’d be a fool to ignore the fact that nobody has ever been found.”

“You and Izaya have already discovered more than anyone else has.” Celty turned and found Shiro leaning against the island, his arm wrapped around Mizuki. “We know it’s malicious now, considering the bastard doing this is erasing camera footage.”   
  


Mizuki nodded. “But the best we can do for now and stay safe and stay together. Whoever is doing this will have more trouble if none of us are alone…”

Jinsei turned towards the conversation and reached out, taking Celty’s hand. “That includes you, Celty. I know you can more than handle yourself, but I still want you to be careful. If this kidnapper gets any suspicions that you are in our pack, he may try to get information from you. I don’t know if they’d be foolish enough to try that, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

The rough housing behind them ended as Eiji and Izaya returned to the conversation. The informant let out a growl and crossed his arms. “I don’t care if Celty can handle herself. If anyone tries to hurt her, I’ll make them wish they were never born.” 

She was briefly surprised by the protective gleam in the wolves' eyes. She looked around at all of them, including Sayuri and Yuina.  _ I don’t… I don’t understand. You just met me today! I’m not even a werewolf, why would you all risk yourselves for me? _

Yuina scoffed from her seat on the couch. “Well that’s easy to answer, Celty-san. It’s because you're our packmate!”

Shiro nodded in agreement as he reached out and ruffled Izaya’s hair. “Honorary pack members may not be werewolves, but you’re still just just as important as any other pack member. Werewolves stick together no matter what, and that includes honorary pack members.”

Mizuki nodded in agreement. “A pack is a family, and you’re part of that family!” She smiled widely, showing off her sharp canines. “So don’t worry, Celty! We’re all here for you, no matter what!”

Celty felt her heart soar, and spent the rest of the day in bliss. The pack ate dinner as Sayuri introduced them to all the anime that she had been showing Yuina. They sat together on the floor to watch, all of them relaxed and enjoying each other's company.

As she sat there, with Izaya at her side and the other werewolves surrounding them, Celty marveled at how much it felt like she belonged. She had her beloved Shinra, and an amazing pack of werewolves who accepted her unconditionally, and she would never get over how happy it made her.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Celty became a regular visitor to the pack, and blended in with them easily. Jinsei found as many books as he could about Irish Mythology and poured over them with her, Yuina enjoyed drawing her and her motorcycle, and she even managed to bully Eiji into helping her learn how to cook.

Meanwhile, Izaya found himself growing even closer to Shizuo. After Shizuo’s offer to meet again, they had another get together at Russian Sushi. It happened a few more times before they ended up going somewhere else to avoid Erika.

Shizuo found them a cafe, one that served pastries that weren’t too sweet so that Izaya would enjoy them too. They at first were awkward and unsure of what to speak about other than their jobs, but eventually were able to find conversations about shows and books and their mutual love of Ikebukuro. 

Before Izaya knew it, two months had passed since he had returned, and his life had almost completely changed for the better. Then, Shizuo had cone something that Izaya had not been prepared for.

They had met up at a cafe, where Izaya had tried to show Shizuo some of his favorite books. The blonde had done his best to follow along, but they soon found themselves off topic and joking around about their high school fights.

After a long coffee date, they lost track of time and left the cafe as the clouds in the sky began to send rain down on the city. Luckily, Izaya had brought an umbrella, which Shizuo offered to hold as they walked back towards the debt collector’s apartment.

“...And then I tried to throw the fridge at him! Broke tons of bones, and Kasuka just watched me do it while he finished eating my pudding. I was hurt so bad, and I wouldn’t even talk to him at the hospital for days, all because of the damn pudding!”

Next to him, Izaya giggled in amusement as he wiped tears from his eyes. “Seriously?! The first time you used your strength was because of pudding?” He snorted and laughed harder. “Who knew that all you needed to unlock your powers was for your brother to steal your pudding! If I go to your apartment and steal your milk, will you go Super Saiyan?”

Shizuo snickered and shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe I could, but I would prefer to not have more crazy powers, the strength is hard enough to handle as it is. My temper sure doesn’t help, makes it so a lot of people don’t believe I hate violence.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t help,” Izaya admitted,”I practically tormented you ever since high school, and it wasn’t fair. I’m… I’m so sorry.”

The debt collector sighed and elbowed Izaya slightly. “Oi, you already apologized to me twenty times already, you can stop.” He kept his eyes forward as they walked down an alleyway to take a shortcut. “I didn’t help either, the first thing I said to you was that you pissed me off.”

“Let’s just agree that we were both assholes to each other,” Izaya placated. 

Shizuo hummed and nodded. “Yes, that sounds good… But you were a little bit more of one.”

Izaya rolled his eyes. “Well I already knew that, protozoan.” He chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets. “At least we got over it, and now we can be friends.”

“Yeah….”

They walked in silence for a while before Shizuo suddenly stopped. Izaya slowed his steps and turned to face him with a tilt of his head. “Shizu-chan? Is everything okay?” He asked as he walked closer.

Shizuo’s cheeks were red with blush as he looked towards the raven. He walked up until they were close and reached his hand out, placing it on Izaya’s cheek. He leaned forward and their lips connected in a gentle kiss.

Izaya couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped him as they shared the kiss, the connection sending sparks of happiness through him. The kiss was too short, and moments later they pulled away. 

When the informant looked into Shizuo’s eyes, he found the brown eyes were filled with barely hidden fear. It seemed like Shizuo was afraid of what Izaya would say or how he would react, and was waiting to see what would happen.

“S-Shizuo… I….” Izaya’s mouth froze before he could speak anymore as his eyes glanced upward, the clouds parted the slightest bit and revealed what was behind them… 

The full moon…

He should have said something, he should have said  _ anything _ so that Shizuo knew Izaya wasn’t running because he hated what just occurred… But… He panicked.

Izaya spun around and sprinted away without even looking back at the man who had just kissed him. He didn’t even know where he was going, he just ran and took as many turns as he could to try and get away before Shizuo saw what he would turn into.

Eventually his transformation took over and he fell to the ground. The white glow surrounded his body as his form changed. When it vanished, his human form was no more, and a black wolf had taken its place.

Izaya panted heavily as he stood in the middle of the darkened alleyway. He lowered his head and slammed his paw against the ground.  _ Damn it! What’s wrong with me?! I’ve been a werewolf for three months, why wasn’t I watching the time?! _

Heavy footsteps caught his attention, and Izaya looked up just in time to see Shizuo skid to a stop at the end of the alleyway. His chest was heaving, his clothing soaked as he looked around frantically. “Izaya?!” He called, his voice cracking. “IZAYA!”

The blonde seemed to suddenly give up. He leaned against the building and slid to the floor, bringing his legs to his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. His shoulders shook slightly, but he didn’t move other than that.

Izaya felt horrible guilt wrenching at his heart. He flattened his ears and tucked his tail in between his legs as he slunk forward and sat by the blonde. He let out a small whimper, pressing his cold nose against the blonde head.

Shizuo jolted at the touch and looked up. “Huh?” He glanced at Izaya, and the informant could see the red rims around his eyes. “A… A dog?”

Izaya whimpered again and leaned forward, licking at the man’s cheek as the shaky hand began to scratch behind his flattened ears. He felt horrible, the man was completely crushed and Izaya couldn’t do anything…

Eventually, Shizuo sighed and leaned forward, hugging the werewolf with one arm. “I’m so stupid… What was I thinking?” He croaked,”I’m a dumb brute, why would Izaya ever want to be with me?”

_ You’re wrong Shizuo, you’re wrong. I’m right here… _ He whimpered again and nuzzled against the blonde.  _ I love you, Shizu-chan, I swear I do… Please… Please don’t give up just yet, give me time… _

Eventually, Shizuo let out a weak sigh and removed himself from the hug. He turned and walked back the way he came. Izaya quickly got to his paws and followed after him, his claws clicking against the cement.

At the sound of the claws, Shizuo turned around and stopped at the sight of him. “No… No, dog. You have to… Stay. Stay here.” He turned around and wrapped his arms around himself. “Stay. I… I need to be alone right now.”

Izaya watched him go as he let out a loud whimper, but the blonde didn’t turn back. He was helpless, he couldn’t call for the blonde, he could tell him he felt the same way, all he could do was wait until morning and hope Shizuo would let him explain.

With his head lowered, Izaya wandered down the alleyways in a daze, unsure of where he was going. He just needed to walk, to get away from the guilt that was plaguing his mind. If he had just kept track of the time, if they had left sooner, if he had answered faster…

“Izaya?”

The black wolf’s ears rose and he turned his head, his red eyes landing on the form of a large brown wolf sitting underneath the metal awning of one of the buildings. He sniffed the air, and recognized the scent immediately. “Tom? What are you doing here?”

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” Tom challenged him with a flick of his tail. “You have a pack, shouldn’t you be with them?”

Izaya moved underneath the awning and shook his fur, sending water droplets all over. “I lost track of time… I- I was with Shizu-chan and then…” He flattened his ears and let out a whine. “I messed up bad.”

Tom’s eyes instantly glowed protectively. “What did you do?”

“It was… Shizu-chan… He- He kissed me, Tom!” Izaya exclaimed,”I- I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do. But then the moon, it came up, and I panicked… I ran away, and then I transformed.”

The werewolf by him let out a hiss. “Oh no… That’s awful…” He licked at his wet chest fur to fix it for a moment. “I knew he was planning to confess, but I didn’t think he’d be bold enough to kiss you.”

“You knew?” Izaya exclaimed.

Tom chuckled. “Of course I did! Shizuo may act like a big tough guy, but he gets super anxious when it comes to romance. He’s asked me for dating advice for years, which I always find funny considering I don’t care much for romance. But still, I gave the best advice I could.”

He turned to Izaya and fixed him with a hard stare. “Listen, Izaya, he was terrified that you would reject him. I understand why you ran, it’s not your fault. But, you need to talk to him as soon as possible. He’s going to be crushed.”

_ Believe me, he is, I know… _ Izaya sighed and lowered his head. “I will, Tom. As soon as the moon is down and I’m human again, I’m going to find him and make sure he knows that I feel the same way.”

Tom looked proud, and wagged his tail. “So you do return his feelings?”

Izaya would have blushed if he was human. “Of course I do, how could I not?” He scratched his side. “If I’m honest, I think I’ve been harboring feelings for him for a long, long time…”

The debt collector listened quietly, but he never got to reply. A high pitch, terrified howl made both werewolves jump to their paws and swivel their heads towards where the sound came from.

“What was that?!” Tom exclaimed, his hackles raised.

Izaya’s ears swiveled around as he stepped into the rain. “It sounded like a werewolf... “ His heart skipped a beat. “Tom! What if it’s the kidnappers?! They could be in danger!”

Tom’s teeth instantly appeared as he let out a snarl. “Then let’s go!”

The frantic howls continued as the two werewolves sprinted out from under the awning and followed the terrified sound in search of the danger. They ran around four corners before skidding to a stop at the sight of two humans bent over a large trash can.

“What the hell is taking you so long, Hachiro?! Get the stupid thing before something catches us!” The taller male said, in a gruff voice that Izaya recognized. His heart skipped a beat, it was the man from the bay… The day he got bit!

The smaller man let out an angry noise. “You try it then, asshole! I’m trying to not get fucking bit!” 

“Use the goddamn catch pole!”

“It doesn’t reach, Kenta, what do you want me to do?!”

The tall man, Kenta, groaned and stalked forward. “Fine, give it to me! My arms are longer, I’ll catch the stupid thing!”

Izaya had enough of watching. As Hachiro handed the taller man the catch pole, Izaya jumped out of their hiding spot and sprinted forward with a loud snarl. His teeth clamped around the metal pole as he kept running, yanking Kenta off his feet.

“SHIT! The thing has a pack!!” Hachiro cried out.

Kenta lost a grip of the pole, which Izaya hurriedly threw further down the alleyway. The man’s angry black eyes glared at Izaya, a sneer on his yellowed teeth. “Ya shouldn’t have shown yourself, freak! Now we’re gonna take you and your little friend!”

“Over our dead bodies!” Izaya heard Tom yell as he ran around the corner and rammed into the back of Hachiro’s knees. The heavy man crashed to the ground, his forehead cracking against the cement floor.

Hachiro cried out as Tom’s claws raked across his body. “Ahh! Kenta! Shoot it! Shoot it!” He yelped.

Izaya knew exactly what they were talking about, the tranquilizer used on the wolf that had bitten him. As Kenta pulled out the dart gun, Izaya quickly copied Tom’s move and ran to ram the man’s knees.

At the last second, Kenta spun around and shot the dart towards Izaya. The wolf yelped and threw himself to the side, rolling over several times while the dart clattered uselessly against the floor. 

“Shit!” Kenta exclaimed as he fumbled, trying to get another dart to put into the gun. But he was too slow.

Tom charged forward, with his huge paws hitting the man’s back and knocking him onto his stomach. Izaya quickly moved forward and grabbed the gun from the man’s clutches and sank his teeth into the weak material as hard as he could. The long barrel was bent, making the gun unusable.

“Fuck! I’m not dying here! Not like this!” Hachiro cried as he scrambled to his feet and ran away, not even looking back to see if Kenta was following. He slipped in the rain and fell again, before finally managing to scramble upwards and waddle away.

Kenta growled and spun around, his boot kicking Tom in the chest. There was a crack and Tom yelped, stumbling backwards. As the man climbed up, Izaya quickly moved in front of Tom and released a protective growl.

The lanky man glared at them with disgust. “You think you’ve won, you filthy monsters? Well, enjoy it while you can. We’ll find you, all of you, and you’ll get the treatment you deserve!” He turned around and ran after Hachiro without another word.

Izaya watched them go with his hackles raised and his growl echoing until he heard their footsteps no longer. He sighed in relief and turned to look at the brown wolf. “Are you okay?” He asked between pants.

Tom tried to take a deep breath, only to wince in pain. “Ahh… I think… I think they broke my rib…” He looked at Izaya with flattened ears. “C-can you heal it?” 

The werewolf nodded and placed his nose on the wolf’s chest, allowing his magic to heal the wound with a gentle howl. When Tom’s breathing was no longer hitched, he pulled away. “It’s not completely healed, but I don’t have enough energy to fix the rest…”

“It’s fine, it can wait until we’re all safe. That’s more important.”

The informant nodded and looked towards the dumpster. Though the heavy rain made it hard to hear, Izaya could hear gentle whimpers.

He lowered his large form to the ground and looked under the dumpster. Far underneath the dumpster, pressed against the building’s wall, Izaya was able to see a dark grey wolf pup that was shuddering in fear.

“Hey... “ Izaya whispered in a gentle voice. “Are you okay?”

The pup’s wide brown eyes watched Izaya carefully as he gave the slightest nod of his head. Izaya let his eyes crinkle up in a smile and wagged his tail. “Good, I’m glad. My name is Izaya, and this is my friend Tom, what’s your name?”

Looking between the two of them, the pup’s shaking began to calm down. “H-Hashim…”

Izaya’s red eyes lit up with recognition. “Oh… I know you, you’re friends with Dotachin- er… Kadota and his friends, aren’t you? Erika, Walker, Saburo, Kaztano?”

Hashim’s brown eyes grew hopeful. “Y-you know them? Can you take me to them?” His ears lowered against his head. “P-please? I… I’m so scared…”

Izaya recognized that feeling, and let out a sad sigh. “Oh… Is this your first time changing?”

The young boy nodded his head. “I- I got bit by a dog, and then tonight I changed into this… The mean guys tried to take me… I- I wanna go home…”

The informant knew that going home wasn’t possible, not for a month, but he needed to comfort the pup the best he could. “It’s okay, Hashim. I can’t take you home until you are human again, but I can take you to my pack. Would you like that? They are all wolves too, they’ll keep you safe from the bad men.”

Hashim looked between the two of them. “W-will you stay too?”

“Do you want us to stay?” Tom asked.

Hashim quickly nodded. “You saved me, I wanna stay with you guys. I don’t wanna be afraid…”

Izaya felt himself grow protective once more and backed up a little. “We’ll stay, Hashim, we promise. And if anyone tries to hurt us on our way, we’ll scare them away, they won’t hurt you anymore.”

Hashim took a few deep breaths before he slowly crawled out from underneath the dumpster and into the rain. He was the size of a wolf pup, with big awkward paws. He looked between them, his legs shook, and then he fell over in a dead faint.

Tom jumped in surprise, and then let out a sad sigh. “Oh, the poor thing… He was so scared…” He looked down the alleyway, at the broken gun and the catch pole. “What should we do with those?”

Izaya looked up and flattened his ears. “We can’t take them with us, if anyone sees them it’ll be a dead giveaway. The catch pole is worthless, but the dart and gun aren’t. Let’s hide them somewhere, we can come back and get them later, or Celty can so our human faces are still unknown.”

Tom hid the dart and gun near the awning where they first met that night, shoved behind one of the vending machines in the alleyway. When he returned, he gave Izaya a nervous glance. “S-so… We’re going to your pack?”   
  


“It’s the safest place for a pup, especially if those guys try to find us during the month.” He nuzzled the brown wolf comfortingly, careful around the still injured wrist. “I know you’re a lone wolf, you don’t have to come if you don’t want.”

Tom seemed to consider it for a moment, but then he sighed and shook his head. “No, no, I’m coming. I promised the kid I would stay with him, I can’t take that back now.” He twitched his ears against the raindrops. “Lead the way, Izzy.”

Izaya nodded and knelt down, gently picking up the pup with his jaws. Once he had a good grip on the unconscious pup, he nodded at Tom and the two wolves began their journey. Neither of them let their guard down, they had to protect the pup, they had to protect each other from the danger they had just faced, until they found the safety of their pack. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please leave a comment! They really encourage me to keep writing!
> 
> Also yes Tom is Aromantic because I said so, he and Shizuo are platonic bffs.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time Izaya and Tom managed to reach the bookstore, the rain had soaked through their thick fur and had left them drenched, with droplets of water dripping from their tails and down their snouts.

Tom stood back as Izaya raised a paw and scratched at the back door in a pattern. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, and shuffled his paws against the wet asphalt. “I don’t know, Izaya… I’m not part of your pack… I- I should just go…”

Izaya couldn’t respond thanks to the pup he was carrying, but the growl that rose up from his throat was enough to make the debt collector stop in his tracks. He instantly felt guilty for letting his anxiety control him, he had promised Hashim that he would stay with him, he couldn’t break that now… 

As his sensitive ears caught movement behind the door, Tom swallowed down a lump in his throat, and desperately hoped that Izaya’s pack would truly be as kind as the black werewolf claimed they were.

The heavy metal door was pushed open, and a white wolf appeared on the other side. His grey eyes widened and he let out a soft gasp. “Izaya! You’re okay! We-” His relieved words stopped as he noticed Tom and the unconscious pup still dangling in Izaya’s jaws. “W-what the hell happened?”

The black werewolf made a grunting noise and motioned to the bookstore. The white werewolf was quick to move out of the way, allowing Izaya to climb up the steps and inside. His red eyes glanced at Tom again, and motioned for him to follow.

Tom flattened his ears and tucked his tail between his legs as he followed the informant into the bookstore and tried to ignore the feeling of the white wolf’s sharp gaze on his back. The group descended to the stairs, and into the room where the other five pack members were hidden.

As they entered the basement, the debt collector heard gasps of surprise and saw the other wolves staring at the small pup. Izaya moved near the middle of the room where there was a bundle of blankets, and set Hashim down gently. 

An old, scraggly wolf looked at Tom, and then back at Izaya. “What happened?” He asked, his voice gentle but with an underlying seriousness.

Izaya settled down on the ground, remaining close to the unconscious pup. “I lost track of time and changed on the streets. Tom and I were avoiding the rain when we heard a yelp. We followed the sound, and we found the pup, Hashim. He… He was hiding under a dumpster, there were these humans trying to kidnap him!”

“Humans?” The white wolf behind Tom asked with a cocked head. “Like the dog catchers?”

Tom quickly shook his head in response, his voice returning as he remembered what occurred. “No, they weren’t animal control. They had a dart gun, and they… They knew we were werewolves.”

“What?!” A young ginger wolf yelped.

Izaya’s protective gaze turned to the ginger wolf. “It’s true, Sayuri. They talked about trying not to get bit, and when we attacked they thought we were the pup’s pack. They said… They said they would find us, and give us ‘the treatment we deserve’... Whatever that means…”

Sayuri let out a nervous whimper, which prompted the light brown wolf near her to gently nuzzle her. Tom could feel the tension in the room, it seemed that all the werewolves were catching on to Izaya’s thoughts without even speaking.

A dark brown wolf moved to stand next to the white one. “Izzy… Do you think… Are these guys, are they the ones kidnapping wolves?” She asked, her voice small and shuddering.

Izaya’s eyes burned with a ferocity that surprised Tom. He was silent for a few more moments, and then nodded his head. “They are, I know they are. I recognized their voices instantly.” He flattened his ears and huffed. “When I got bit by that werewolf, they were the ones that took her away. Kenta and Hachiro, that’s their names.”

The informant let out a low growl at the memory. “They’re part of the plot, but they’re not the leaders. The day I got bit, I heard them talking about a boss. They’re working for someone, they’re helping them kidnap the werewolves.”

“And you  _ fought _ them?” The white wolf asked.

Izaya nodded again. “We chased them off, and then came straight here.”

The other black wolf, with shorter fur than Izaya, let out a frustrated growl. “So we finally caught them in the act, and they get away without us finding anything?” His tail lashed in frustration. “Everytime I think we’ve figured something out, we’re left with more questions!”

Izaya got to his paws and shook his head. “Not exactly, Eiji.” He circled over to Tom. “We hid the dart gun and a dart that they tried to use on us. Tomorrow, Celty can go and pick it up, and I can try to figure out its source. I also have their names now, that’s more than enough for me to do some… ‘research’.”

Tom could hear the danger in those words. He hoped that Kenta and Hachiro already had their assets in order, because they likely wouldn’t survive long after Izaya discovered who they were. Perhaps he should have felt worse about the informant obviously planning to harm them, but they had tried to kidnap an innocent wolf pup, he felt nothing for them.

Jinsei simply nodded his head, it seemed he agreed with whatever Izaya was planning. With the situation explained, his attention shifted away from the informant, and his tired eyes focused directly on Tom. 

“And you helped Izaya-kun fight these humans, correct?”

Tom gulped down the lump in his throat and nodded. “I-I… Yes. I’m a friend of Izaya’s… We were together when we heard the pup cry out.”

The light brown wolf stalked forward and gave the debt collector a curious sniff. “You don’t smell like any packs that are in this area…”

“Oh- Um…” Tom lowered his ears as his nerves skyrocketed again. “I- I don’t belong to a pack… I’m a lone wolf…”

The only werewolf who didn’t seem surprised by his admission was Izaya. Tom knew Izaya was still young in terms of werewolf years (so was he, but he’d been a werewolf all his life). He didn’t understand that lone wolves were very rare, especially a lone wolf that was willingly alone.

Most of the time, a lone wolf occurred when a werewolf was cast out of their pack. So, by extension, werewolves on their own were almost always treated with suspicion. Would Izaya’s pack be the same? Would they turn him away for being a loner?

But, to his surprise, the old grey wolf’s eyes crinkled upwards in a kind expression and his tail wagged slightly. “Well, then I would like to thank you for protecting our packmate against such a dangerous threat.”

“I mean, we all know that Izaya can take care of himself…” Mizuki nudged her head against the informant’s side. “But it’s nice to know there was someone who was there helping him out and making sure he didn’t do anything too stupid!”

Izaya huffed and his ears went lopsided. He leaned over and licked the brown wolf affectionately, and then trotted back to the pup. “At least we were able to stop them this time…” He muttered as he curled up against Hashim’s prone form. His thick fur had mostly dried, and would help keep the shivering werewolf warm.

Very quickly, the rest of the pack followed in suit. Sayuri rested her head against Izaya’s back, Shiro and Mizuki cuddling by his head, Eiji with his paws splayed out in front of the pup, Yuina joining Sayuri, and Jinsei settling where he could watch the whole pack.

Their pack seemed to mesh together perfectly, and it reminded Tom that he was nothing but an outsider. He watched them for a moment, and then turned his head back to the stairs. He knew he made a promise to Hashim, but… Maybe it was better if he just left.

Just as the thought hit him, it seemed Izaya knew what he was thinking. His red eyes caught the debt collector’s gaze, and he motioned to his pack with his muzzle. “Tom, stay… Please…”

Tom let out a confused whimper, and looked towards the pack leader. Those gentle eyes seemed to see all the insecurities that he was feeling, and returned them with nothing but understanding and comfort.

“Yes, stay. You protected my pack member, and helped rescue this pup. Even if there weren’t dangers outside our den, you would be more than welcome here.” 

Hope fluttered in Tom’s chest, and he slowly crept up to the pile of werewolves. He settled down on the very edge of the pack, too nervous to even let a single piece of fur touch any of the other werewolves.

After a few moments of tension, Eiji let out an annoyed sigh. “Ah, why are you all the way over there?” He growled and flopped forward, draping his body over Tom’s with a grunt. “You’re still wet, you need someone to keep you warm!”

Tom yelped and squirmed for a moment, before giving in to the stubborn black wolf’s presence. Very quickly, the rest of the pack gravitated over to him and made themselves comfortable once more. 

Eiji remained draped over Tom, while Jinsei and Yuina curled up against his back. Izaya gently dragged the pillow with the pup into the middle of the pile, in front of Tom, and curled up around it. Mizuki, Sayuri, and Shiro settled against Izaya, but close enough that Tom could feel their warmth.

At first, the feeling of the pack around him was a little suffocating. But as they all slowly began to slumber or have quiet conversations, he found himself feeling more and more at home. Despite being an outsider, they all accepted him as if they knew him. 

A warm feeling rose up in his chest, and his tail thumped against the ground in happiness. He closed his eyes and let himself finally relax, the tension melting away as he realized that having a pack wasn’t as scary as he once thought.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

“A month?!” The young pup exclaimed, his jaw dropped as he stared at Izaya in disbelief. 

Izaya didn’t mean to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. Hashim reminded Izaya of himself when he had first turned. Discovering that you were stuck in the form of a wolf for a month after going through your first transformation wasn’t fun, and the kid was reacting almost exactly how he did.

Jinsei gave the pup a gentle lick on his forehead. “Yes, a month. Your body needs time to adjust. But don’t worry, we will spend that month teaching you how to handle your new powers. We have a safe place in the countryside where you can learn without having to worry about silly humans.”

The pup’s wide eyes looked at the werewolves around him, and then focused on two in particular. “Will Izaya-san and Tom-san teach me?” He asked.

It was something that they had discussed the night before, about who should teach Hashim what he needed to know. He had obviously grown attached to Tom and Izaya, which meant they both would have to go regardless. 

Jinsei didn’t want to come at all, too worried about leaving any packmates behind. Yuina was too busy to go, but Eiji’s schedule was clear. He would tag along and help teach Hashim as well. Sayuri had wanted to go, but her classes didn’t end for another two weeks. She reluctantly agreed to join them after her finals instead of skipping them altogether.

Izaya nudged the pup with his nose, eliciting a giggle from the child. “Of course we will be! Don’t worry, pup, we’ll make sure you know everything about being a werewolf!”

Hashim let out a happy yip and jumped around in a circle, his tail wagging so fast that Izaya could barely see it. “Yes! Yes! When do we go? Now?” He looked at his three mentors hopefully.

Eiji chuckled and shook his head. “Hold it, we still have to prepare for the trip, and we’re not leaving until tomorrow. Tom will wait with you, but I have to do some supplies shopping, and Izaya has some… Business to take care of.”

If Izaya was in his human form, he would have blushed profusely at the mention of what business he had to do. It wasn’t related to the kidnappers, it was related to a certain blonde with a short temper that he had run away from.

He sighed as he felt his heart clenching against his chest. He didn’t know what he was going to do. How was he supposed to explain to Shizuo why he ran away after the man kissed him? He knew what Shizuo thought, he believed Izaya rejected him out of disgust, how could he prove that wasn’t true?

“Hey…” 

Izaya blinked and looked to his left, where Tom stood with his fur half-ruffled from sleep. He gave the informant and gentle nuzzle, and a comforting glance. “It’s gonna be okay. I know Shizuo, he will understand.”

The black werewolf turned his gaze away. “I hope so…” He trotted up the stairs, and looked down at the remaining wolves. “I’ll be back before we leave tomorrow.”

“Text us so we know where you are!” Jinsei called from his spot by the stairs.

“And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Eiji exclaimed in a sing-song voice.

The informant rolled his eyes and returned to human form as he circled around the front desk, and exited through the front door as though he were just a simple customer. It wasn't much, but it was still another way to keep the pack safe.

Along the walk towards Shizuo's apartment, his mind was filled with dark clouds of fear and doubt. He felt like a fool. He had hurt Shizuo, all because he had been too foolish to keep track of time. What if Shizuo never accepted his apology? What if they fell back into their old hatred? He didn't want that…

But what could he say? What could he do? He had no idea… Romance, affection, being genuine, it was still something that he was getting used to. Plus, Shizuo was the first person he had ever genuinely fallen for…

Sooner than he wanted, he was on the street of the apartment. It was several stories high with dozens of apartments, all rather small and slightly worn. 

He didn't have to double check and see if he was in the right place, he could recognize Shizuo's scent anywhere. But, as he sniffed again, he noticed something was off. His scent was… Sour.

Werewolves' noses were even more sensitive than dogs, and even the slightest scent change could be noticed. When he caught that sour change, he recognized what it meant. Shizuo was sick.

Izaya's guilt returned once more. If it weren't for him, Shizuo wouldn't have been out in the pouring rain the night before. He let out a sad sigh as he followed the smell, up to the blonde's apartment. 

He raised his fist to knock, but hesitated.  _ Why am I even doing this? Shizuo is sick, surely it would be better to wait, and come back later? _ He shook his head.  _ No, no, I can't make him hurt for longer. I need to apologize now, I can't run away again.  _

The informant knocked on the door, and waited. A minute and twenty seconds later (not that Izaya was counting) the door slowly opened and revealed a disheveled Shizuo. 

His hair was a mess, he was still wearing his clothes from the day before, and his face was a sickly red color. When his tired eyes caught sight of Izaya, they widened for a fraction of a second and then quickly narrowed into slits. 

"Why are you here?" He demanded in a hostile voice that sent spikes through Izaya's heart. 

Izaya twisted his hands in front of him. "Shizu-chan… I came to apologize about… A-about…"

Shizuo scoffed. "About what? About hurting me after you finally got me to open up? Save your breath, flea. I don't want to hear it!" 

"What?! No, Shizuo! I didn't mean to hurt you!" 

Those brown eyes practically burned with anger. "Then why did you run away?!"

"I… I…" Izaya's mind worked rapidly trying to think of a solution. "I was… I was surprised, and I didn't know what to say! I ran away to think about everything, but I thought you would go home after the rain started, so I decided to wait until today!"

Shizuo's lip curled up in a snarl. "Nice try, flea, but you can't trick me like you did with everyone else. I can tell when you're lying." His eyes flashed with pain. "Is that what this was all about?! Becoming our friend so you could hurt us all even worse than before?! Well congratulations! You won!"

He went to slam the door, but Izaya hurriedly pushed back on it and thanked the moon for the strength his werewolf blood gave him. "Shizuo! Please! That's not what this was about! It never was! Please! Just let me explain!" 

The blonde stopped trying to push Izaya back, and let out a frustrated sigh. "...Fine." He pushed the door open and allowed Izaya to walk inside.

The place was small, and a complete disaster area. Things were broken, items strewn about. If he had to guess, he'd bet that Shizuo had lost his temper when he returned home after Izaya's supposed rejection.  _ No wonder he's sick, he worked himself up.  _

He stopped his curious eyes and turned to face Shizuo again, his heart pounding in his ears. The blonde crossed his arms over his wrinkled dress shirt, and glared. "Talk."

Izaya forced himself to breathe before anything else. "I… I'm sorry, Shizuo, I really am. When you kissed me, I wasn't expecting it. But, I've had time to think, and I've spoken to my pa- friends. They helped me see that… That… That I feel the same way."

Shizuo's eyes brightened. "You do…?" He croaked, only to grow suspicious all over again. "Then… Then why did you run away?" 

"B-because… I'm… I was…." He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, as he desperately tried to think of a lie that would fool Shizuo. Something that wouldn't break the fragile trust they had reforged. He wouldn't lose Shizuo, not again! 

"I… I…"

But the only thing Shizuo would believe…

"I'm…."

Was the truth…

His mouth moved without his permission, and his heart spoke in his mind's stead. 

"I'm a werewolf."

The silence of the apartment after his sudden admission almost sent Izaya into a total panic. He kept his face lowered to the ground as his body shivered in fear. It was the first time Izaya had ever willingly revealed his secret to anyone, and he had no idea if what he had just done was a horrible mistake.

After what felt like a painful eternity, he heard Shizuo shift. "Do you think this is some kind of game?"

Izaya chanced a look at Shizuo and found that the man was staring at him with unbridled rage. "Do you think that it's funny to toy with me like this?! Why are you lying again?! Why can't you just tell me the truth!?"

"I  _ am  _ telling you the truth!!" Izaya frantically argued back.

Shizuo growled and looked like he was about to charge forward and attack, but a coughing fit stopped him. "I don't believe you." He wheezed as he turned around to open the door. "Get out." 

As his back was turned, Izaya closed his eyes and called on his wolf form. With a gentle white glow, his claws landed on the old hardwood. He stood there and waited, prepared to run if he had to. 

"I SAID GET-" Shizuo spun around to face him again, and let out a shocked gasp. He stumbled backwards and hit his door, pushing it shut as he landed haphazardly on the floor. 

Izaya winced at the loud thump, but he was too far in to go back now. As Shizuo's wide brown eyes stared at him, he decided to take a chance. He lowered his head and let out a low whine, slowly pawing his way close.

Once he had crept up to Shizuo's side, the blonde slowly lifted a hand. "I-Izaya?"

The informant perked his ears up at the sound of his own name, and he nodded his head in a very un-wolflike fashion. 

Shizuo's hand slowly sank into the thick fur on his neck, and then up to his ears, and down his snout. It felt like he was inspecting Izaya, as though he believed the wolf in front of him was a mirage. 

When the hand pulled away, Izaya concentrated again and allowed the white glow to cover him once more. When he changed back to a human, he was kneeling next to Shizuo. 

As the blonde stared at him in complete and utter shock, Izaya's red eyes stared into his with determination. "I wasn't lying."

"Well I can see that now!" Shizuo exclaimed as he hunched forward, threading his hands through his hair. "Fuck! Why didn't you do that from the beginning?!"

Izaya's cheeks turned a bright red. "I… I wasn't really supposed to do that…" He twisted the button on his jacket. "Otherworlders are supposed to keep their true forms secret from humans."

"But I'm not a regular human…"

"Crazy monster strength aside, you're still just a human, Shizu-chan." He teased, before frowning once more. "That's why I ran. We stayed longer than usual, and it was the full moon and… and I started to change… I'm not supposed to show that form to humans, so I ran."

Shizuo leaned his head against the door and stared at the ceiling. "Oh… That makes a lot more sense…"

Izaya thought for a moment, and then continued. "There's another reason. Do you remember that… Friend of mine, the one who lost her sister?" 

"She's a werewolf, isn't she?" 

The informant nodded. "They both are. And… and that case me and Celty were working on, it was kind of a lie. It's not random people who are going missing, it's werewolves." 

Shizuo's eyes widened. "Just werewolves?" 

"Yes…" Izaya hesitated, and then chuckled. "Actually, it's a good thing I ran away from you. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to save a werewolf from getting kidnapped by them. They were a new pup too, newly bitten."

The blonde groaned again and rubbed his temples. "This is so much to process… I feel sick..." 

"That's because you  _ are  _ sick, silly protozoan.," Izaya replied in an affectionate tone. 

He took Shizuo's hands in his own, and pressed a soft kiss to the man's temple. "You can rest, I will be here when you wake up."

"Y'promise?" Shizuo blearily asked, losing more clarity by the second.

Izaya gave him a gentle smile, and nodded his head. "I promise, Shizu-chan."

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Hours later when Shizuo woke up, his headache was gone, the chills that had run through his body were no more, and his stuffy nose had cleared, which allowed him to catch the delicious smell of soup wafting through the apartment.

He slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When he looked around the room, he found that the disaster he had created had been cleaned up. “Huh…”

To his left, on the nightstand, was a glass of ice water and a bottle of cold medicine. He fumbled for a minute before he managed to shake out two pills, chasing them down with the cold water that felt heavenly on his parched throat.

He kept the water in his grasp as he climbed out of the comfortable bed and shuffled down the hallway. In the small kitchen of the now clean apartment, he found Izaya leaning over his battered pot and staring at whatever he was cooking.

Shizuo hesitated as fuzzy memories of the day before rose up in his mind. Maybe it was better for him to go back to bed and try to figure out if the whole werewolf thing was some kind of bad dream…

But as he stepped back, barely making any noise, Izaya stopped staring down at the soup pot and turned around. A nervous smile climbed up his face, and he pointed towards the delicious smelling food. “I made soup.”

“Shinra always said you were terrible at cooking…” Shizuo cautiously replied.

Izaya’s nervous smile became more relaxed. “Yeah, well… He’s not wrong. But my packmate has been giving me cooking lessons. I’ve gotten a lot better since then.”

The casual mention of a ‘packmate’ sent Shizuo’s heart skyrocketing. “Oh… S-so… That whole werewolf thing… It wasn’t some fever dream?”

The informant shook his head as he ladled some soup into a bowl and set it on Shizuo’s worn table. “Nope, werewolves are real, and I am one of them.” 

Izaya grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the bowl of soup. “Here, this will help you feel better. I’ll explain everything while you eat, and then you can ask any questions you have after you finish.”

Too bewildered to argue, Shizuo sat down in front of the bowl and slowly began to eat. The taste was amazing, and helped to warm him up and pull him from the feeble clutches of drowsiness.

Once he was eating, Izaya sat across from his and began to explain everything. He told Shizuo about the job at the bay, getting bitten, and transforming for the first time. He spoke of his pack, and how they helped him become a better person. He explained how he and Celty became friends, and everything he knew about the missing wolves.

Lastly he explained to Shizuo all the strange events between them. He revealed that the reason he ran away when they first reunited after his month away was because he was transforming out of fear, and didn’t want to bite Shizuo. 

“...And when we started to become friendly, I was really happy. When you kissed me, I felt like I could fly! I would have accepted your feelings, but then I saw the moon and I had to run away…” Izaya finished with a blush. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I was scared of what might happen if you saw… If you saw me change.”

Shizuo set the spoon in the empty bowl, and reached across the table to clasp their hands together. “Do you really think that would have changed my opinion on you, flea?” He shook his head. “I may be just a human, but I know what it feels like to be treated like a monster. I wouldn’t turn you away for being a werewolf.”

Izaya’s hand gently squeezed Shizuo’s hands in return. “I knew that deep down. But with the werewolves going missing, and the way some humans treat us… I thought it was safer to keep it quiet for as long as possible.”

“Some humans…?” Shizuo echoed curiously.

The werewolf let out an awkward laugh. “Oh, yeah… When I was training, there was this farmer. He left out traps, and tried to kill me with a pitchfork. It’s why I have this scar.” He pointed to the mark on his face. 

Shizuo cringed as anger began to rise up within him. “Well, after dealing with an asshole like that, I can see why you wanted to hide it.” He looked down at their hands and smiled. “But… I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me.”

Izaya smiled and stood up, taking the empty bowl and walking towards the sink. Shizuo found himself hurriedly climbing to his feet and following after him. He watched the informant for a moment, as his heart pounded against his chest.

“I-Izaya…”

Those red eyes turned to him, and seemed to emit the same anxiousness that he felt. “Yes, Shizu-chan?”

Shizuo ignored the feeling of butterflies in his chest as he looked into the ruby gaze. "If… if the full moon hadn't made you run away… What… what would you have done?" 

Izaya's face turned a deep shade of pink, and he shuffled his feet. He slowly moved forward and wrapped his arms around Shizuo, pressing their lips together in a hesitant, gentle kiss. 

Instantly, Shizuo felt like someone had set off fireworks. He was overcome with happiness, and hurriedly wrapped his arms around the shorter man’s waist. He leaned into the kiss until they both were forced to pull away, panting for air.

Izaya stared up at him with affection brimming in his gaze. “Does that answer your question, Shizu-chan?” He practically purred.

The blonde couldn’t find the words. Instead, his hands moved up, and pulled Izaya into a tight hug. “Thank god… I was so scared when I kissed you yesterday… That I ruined everything. But you… You feel the same?”

Izaya giggled against his shoulder and rubbed his back. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have kissed you just now!”

“Right, right…” He let out a shaky breath. “W-what do we do now? A-are we moving too fast? Izaya, I don’t know anything about… About this… I’ve never even dated before…”

The werewolf shook his head. “I haven’t either.” He pulled away a little bit, and smiled. “But that means we can figure it out together. Although, it will have to wait until I get back…”

“You’re leaving?” Shizuo asked, his tone more despondent than he meant it to be.

The informant chuckled and kissed his cheek, which caused his blush to return. “I leave tomorrow, but it’s only for a month, to help teach the new pup the ropes. When I get back, we’ll have all the time in the world.”

Shizuo nodded his head, but he kept thinking. “What if… What if while you’re gone, I help Celty with searching for the missing werewolves? We can keep in touch with you, and tell you if we find anything?”

Izaya blinked in surprise. “You’d do that?”

“Of course. Even if we weren’t… Whatever we are now, I would still help. Whoever is doing this will regret ever messing with us once we catch them and kick their ass!” Shizuo promised.

The werewolf laughed at his enthusiasm, and gave him a small, genuine smile. “Thank you, Shizu-chan… For everything.”

They remained in each other's embrace for a few more peaceful seconds before Shizuo finally managed to build up the courage. “So… If you’re leaving tomorrow… Does that mean that…  _ Tonight, _ you could stay here?”

Izaya giggled again. “Shizu-chan! Scandalous! At least ask me out on a date first!”

Shizuo’s face quickly flushed. “Oh shit, I- I’m sorry I didn’t even think about it and I was just- I was just-”

He was cut off by the feeling of Izaya’s soft lips pecking against his own. “I was kidding!” Izaya reached up, brushing Shizuo’s messy bangs out of his eyes. “Silly Shizu-chan, of course I will.”

“Oh…” Shizuo closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, good, I’m glad.”

Later that night, Shizuo would find himself sitting on his old, lumpy couch with several blankets draped over his body, the television quietly droning on some random channel, and Izaya dozing against his side.

His brown eyes stared at the man’s peaceful face, adoring every detail. He found himself marveling at the situation he found himself in. Orihara Izaya, his supposed arch-enemy, was now the man he was in love with.

Shizuo smiled and leaned down, pressing a kiss against the raven locks, and then leaning back into the cushions. His grip on Izaya’s waist loosened as he too began to sink into the world of dreams. As he let his eyes slip shut, he had one last fleeing thought.

_ This is the happiest I’ve felt in a long time. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! If you enjoyed, please comment and let me know! I always love reading them ^_^ Have a great day, and stay safe!


	14. Chapter 14

“Whoa…”

Hashim and Izaya stood on the edge of the engawa, their eyes wide with awe as they stared at the scenery around them. A thick blanket of snow covered everything in the forest, icicles hung down from the roof, and the cold air nipped at their wet snout.

The wolf pup next to Izaya took a deep breath and exhaled, watching his breath appear in a misty cloud in front of him. As he poked his head over the hanging roof, a snowflake gently fluttered down and landed on his nose.

He let out a gleeful giggle and bounded around the engawa, his claws clicking against the wood. “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” He spun around to face Izaya, his eyes wide with excitement. “I’ve never seen snow ever before!!”

The kid’s excitement was rather contagious, to the point that Izaya found his own tail wagging in response. “Really?” He made a thoughtful noise. “Well then, I suppose we’ll have to have a snow day, won’t we?”

The small grey wolf pup began to squirm with barely contained energy as he gave Izaya a hopeful glance. “Really? Can we? Please?” 

Izaya made a long humming noise, as if he was thinking very hard. Then, when it looked like the pup was about to finally burst with impatience, he chuckled and relented. “Of course we can!”

“YES!” Hashim howled as scurried back into the old house, crashing into the slumbering forms of Tom and Eiji. “Wake up! It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

Tom blearily opened his eyes and sat up, half of his fur flat against his face from sleeping while Eiji simply groaned and rolled over, trying to continue sleeping for a little longer. Hashim was relentless, however, and bumped his head into the black wolf’s side.

“Eiji! Eiji! It’s snowing! Wake up, Eiji!” The child yapped over and over, his tail wagging so fast that Izaya could barely see it.

Eventually the black wolf let out a loud groan and turned his head to look at Hashim. “I know, kid!” He answered in a cheerful, but tired voice. “It’s super awesome, but Eiji-san wants to sleep for a little longer.” He flopped back down with a sleepy huff.

Tom rolled his eyes as he nudged Hashim back towards the door. “It’s okay, Hashim. Don’t worry about Eiji, he’s just a baby when it comes to the cold.”

“I have short fur...” Eiji indignanty grumbled as he curled up further into the pile of blankets that the four wolves had made their bed out of. 

Hashim giggled at the older man’s petulant whining, and hurriedly spun around. “That’s okay! I can play in the snow for both of us!” He suggested.

“Good idea!” Izaya said from the engawa, his red eyes betraying his own childlike excitement.

The pup let out a squeal and then backed up a few steps. He crouched down and shook his backside before he took off in a sprint. He flew over the edge of the engawa, and then disappeared into the thick snow on the ground. After a few moments, his head reappeared with snow piled on top, and he let out a loud giggle.

“It’s so much fun!” He dove back in the snow, and popped back up a few feet further away. “Come on!!”

Izaya allowed the contagious excitement to win, and jumped into the snow as well. He landed heavier than the pup, the snow as high as his belly. He let out a happy bark and trudged further away from the house.

Tom watched them with amusement in his eyes as he gingerly placed a paw on top of the snow. He pressed down a bit, seemingly testing the strength of the snow. When he was satisfied, he tried to step down on top of it. But, it quickly gave in under the weight of the wolf. With a yelp, Tom fell face first into the snow, his back legs hanging awkwardly in the air.

Hashim burst out in a peal of giggles while Izaya turned his head away to hide his own amusement. 

The brown wolf's legs kicked out for a moment before he managed to flip himself around. He looked bewildered for a moment, until he caught sight of the giggling pup. His eyes lit up with a mischievous plot, and he crouched down. “Oh, I’m gonna get you!”

“N-no!” Hashim cried out between giggles as he spun around and took off with snow flying underneath his paws, Tom hot on his heels.

Izaya laughed as he watched the two take off, and quickly burst into a sprint after the other wolves. 

They galloped into the snowy forest, the trees passing by in a blur as they descended further. The two older wolves ran slower than they usually would, allowing the pup to run ahead where they could watch him.

Hashim’s paws hit the ground and his tongue hung out of his mouth. After several long bounds he crouched and leapt into the air with a loud whoop of happiness, landing gracefully on his paws and continuing to run.

Izaya found that his happiness seeped into himself, as he began to grow playful. He sped up and then skidded in front of the pup. “I gotcha!”

The pup yelped in surprise, but he didn’t try to stop. With a glint in his eye, he burst forward and crashed into Izaya’s side. The black wolf let out a grunt as the small form hit his ribs, and they both fell into the snow.

Hashim quickly scrambled up and climbed up Izaya’s side, standing on shaky legs. He let out a bark, sinking his sharp teeth into Izaya’s scruff and tugging a few times. Then he let go and raised his head proudly, his tail wagging. “Ha! I beat you! 

The informant let out a fake moan of pain. “You did!” He exclaimed dramatically, even letting out a few coughs. “I’ve been defeated! This is the end for Orihara Izaya!” He let his head flop back with a fake dying breath.

“No! Izaya!” Tom exclaimed and turned his gaze to Hashim, crouching down in a playful position. “I’ll avenge you! I’ll defeat Hashim!”

The pup giggled and crouched down as well. “No you won’t!” He charged forward and crashed into Tom as well, which sent them rolling a few times before he stood triumphantly in front of the brown wolf. “I win again! Nobody can beat me!”

At that moment, the snow on the large tree next to them fell down and crashed on top of the gray pup, burying him inside the snow as he let out a surprised yelp. His head popped up a few seconds later, with a mound of snow balancing on his head.

The three wolves stared at each other in silence for a moment, and then all burst into laughter. Tom chuckled into his paws, Hashim giggled as he squirmed free of his snowy prison, and Izaya laughed freely while watching. With all the stress they had in their human lives, it felt good to simply relax and be happy for a least a little while.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Late that night, Izaya found himself sitting on the edge of the engawa, a blanket wrapped tightly around his body as he held his phone against his ear. 

"Hashim is doing very well, he figured out how to catch on to smells fast! He tracked both me and Eiji-kun the third time we tried!" Izaya proudly listed. "He's still getting used to our heightened senses, but he's doing well with that too! And we've only been here for a week!"

Shizuo chuckled on the other end. "Sounds like everything is going good over there. I saw the forecast on the news, is it snowing over there?" 

Izaya hummed. "It is, it's barely stopped since we got here." He looked at the moonlight as it sparkled through the icicles. "I wish I could have brought you with me, Shizu-chan." 

"Bah… I would have just gotten in the way of your training, and I needed to help out your investigation like I promised." Shizuo hesitated and cleared his throat. "But maybe I can come next time…" 

The informant didn't stop the grin that appeared on his face at the idea. "That sounds perfect. I can show you all the best spots in the forest to nap." 

"That sounds great, it'd be nice to have somewhere peaceful to relax."

Izaya lowered his gaze away from the moonlight, and his red eyes turned to the old wood of the engawa. He scratched at it with his nail as he built up courage. "How is that… Other thing going, by the way?" 

On the other side of the phone, he heard Shizuo make an awkward noise. “Me n’ Celty followed the directions you gave us based on where the tranquilizer came from, but the seller was gone, it was like he’d never been there!”

The werewolf sighed and shook his head. “I’m not surprised… The type of tranquilizer is not legal here, so he’s probably an underground seller. If I had to guess, he moves around often to keep the authorities from sniffing him out.”

“So the gun is useless?” Shizuo questioned, the emotion in his voice betraying his frustration.

Izaya scrunched up his nose. “Well, not completely. He isn’t completely gone, he’s probably just moved his selling to somewhere else. It’s pretty common for someone in that profession to do that. I’m sure if I do some digging I can find him again, but with the internet all the way out here… It may have to wait until I’m back… But that’s okay, it might make them act carelessly again and easier to catch.”

Shizuo was silent for several moments as he soaked in what Izaya had said. “... I’m sorry, flea…” He eventually whispered. “I know how badly you wanted to figure this out, I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

The raven blinked in surprise, and then let out a fond sigh. “Shizu-chan… How is it that you always know just how I’m feeling?” He wondered aloud as he lowered his head. “I just… I just wish this was over, I wish they would make some stupid mistake and I could catch them and stop them. I hate that my pack, all the packs, are in danger… I hate that I had to drag you and Celty into this…”

“You didn’t drag Celty and I into anything, Izaya. Werewolf or not, there’s no way I’m going to let my boyfriend deal with this bullshit by himself!” Shizuo sounded like he was pacing as he continued. “And I want to have everyone be safe as much as you do, but if we get frustrated all we’re going to do is make mistakes and hurt people.” 

Shizuo’s words were surprisingly wise, but Izaya knew he likely was speaking from past experiences with his inhuman strength. He felt the blush returning to his cheeks, and allowed himself to smile slightly. “You’re right, Shizu-chan. We have to do this right, for the sake of all the packs.” 

He heard the man make an affirmative noise, seemingly satisfied with Izaya’s agreement. “No matter what happens, me, Celty, and your pack will be here to help you stop these bastards. Don’t you forget it, flea!”

Izaya felt his smile widen. “They’re your pack too, remember Shizu-chan? Honorary pack members are just as important as normal pack members.”

On the other end, Shizuo chuckled. “I know, I know. But a certain louse seems to be forgetting that too, since he’s trying to do everything himself!” He paused for a moment. “And also… You know, still getting used to the whole ‘the guy I love being a werewolf’”

“Don’t let Erika hear you saying that!” Izaya teased.

Shizuo let out an amused chuckle at the idea of the anime-obsessed woman finding out about the relationship between them, and then they descended into silence. It was a comfortable quiet, one where they were simply enjoying the company of one another.

Eventually, Izaya shrugged off the blanket on his shoulder and stood up. “I think I’m going to go for a run. I need to clear my head and think about what our next move can be. I’ll call you again tomorrow, Shizu-chan… I love you.”

The young man made an affirmative noise. “I love you too… Stay safe” 

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The moon’s gentle light shone down on the forest, making the snow glow even more beautifully than the sun had. 

With gentle, soft pawsteps, Izaya trekked into the forest with his sides heaving from his run. He slowed to a walk, shook the excess snow off of his thick black fur, and turned his eyes up to the sky. His run had helped calm his frustrations, but what was left over was a forlorn werewolf.

His red eyes focused on the moon, not quite as full as she had been a week ago. “Shizu-chan is right, I know he is. I can rely on everyone to help, and we need to keep trying to fight these kidnappers… I know I shouldn’t act recklessly, but…” He let out a low whine. “I want to save the werewolves, I want to protect my pack, but I don’t know what to do…”

His ears flattened against his head, and his tail curled close as he gazed sadly up at the moon, the one who granted him his powers. “I’m… I’m scared…” He weakly admitted. “For myself, for my friends, and my pack. I’ve… I’ve never had people to care about before, and now I might lose them if I can’t stop these people…”

“I know nothing about them, it’s like fighting a ghost…” He sighed and shook his head.

“I’ve never had people to care about before, and now I do… My pack, my friends, Shizu-chan…” His ears flattened against his head, and his tail curled close as he gazed sadly up at the moon, the one who granted him his powers. “I’m… I’m terrified that they’ll all be taken from me…”

Izaya sighed and lowered himself into the snow, desperate to feel the comforting glow on his chilled fur. His mind was a tangle of fears and insecurities that he did not know how to unravel, but when he was under the warm light of the moon, it felt like a gentle, protective hug that helped to settle his worries.

The werewolf had just about calmed down when his ears picked up on a strange sound. His ears rose and swiveled, just in time to hear the sound of someone screaming in pain. Instantly he jumped to his feet, alert and tensed as he searched for a source.

He stayed in the same spot, his head turning from side to side until he heard another sound: A loud guttural screeching sound followed a scuffle of movement. There was another cry of pain, and then a voice called out.

“NO!!”

The werewolf burst into a sprint, his paws light as he hurried towards the source of the cry. He skidded around a tree and gasped in shock as his eyes landed on the sight of red stained snow. 

There was a human laying on the ground, the red stains surrounding their prone form. Standing above the injured person was a large and intimidating wild boar. Though it was hard to see in the darkness, it looked like there was blood on its tusks.

The boar turned its head, and let out a loud screech at the sight of the black wolf. It spun around and charged forward without a warning, leaving Izaya to scramble and lunge in order to avoid the hulking creature. 

He scrambled back onto his paws just in time for the boar to charge again. Izaya jumped to the side as the boar sped past him, and quickly ran towards it. With a loud growl, he jumped up and sank his sharp teeth in the boar’s thick skin.

The boar screeched and then began to thrash, the sudden movements forced Izaya to let go. He quickly stumbled backwards, but not fast enough. The boar charged again, this time crashing into Izaya’s side. 

The werewolf let out a terrified howl as the pain laced through him, his body crashing into the snow. He barely managed to escape the huge hooves that landed right where he had been moments before. He panted, his sides stung with pain in every breath.

When it charged once more, Izaya let out a vicious snarl and met the charge with one of his own. He bit into the boar’s back fur and tugged, using his strength to throw the boar to the side and send him rolling. The harsh throw made the wounds on Izaya’s side burn with pain, his vision swirling momentarily.

The creature was back up before Izaya could fix his blurry vision, attacking him with another charge that had him stumbling backwards. He only managed to stay on his feet thanks to the tree he landed against.

Izaya felt panic grip his heart as he took several steps back. The boar paced a few moments as it stared Izaya down, letting out an angry noise. For several long moments, neither of them moved, and the werewolf even began to hope that maybe the boar would turn and run away,

The boar didn’t care for such hopes. Instead, it let out another screech and then charged forward once more. Before those tusks sunk their way into Izaya’s wounded form, a loud howl rang out in the forest and a grey blur burst through the brush. 

With a loud wham, the boar was sent stumbling backwards and onto the ground. Where he had been standing was now occupied by a familiar grey wolf. Izaya let out a soft gasp, he knew exactly who that was, it was the wolf that had taught him how to heal.

There was no time to exchange pleasantries, the boar was quickly back on its feet. It let out another confident screech, but this one didn’t have as much strength behind it. This time, the boar was outnumbered.

The grey wolf raised his hackles and bared his teeth as he lunged forward, his threatening pose gaining the boar’s full attention. As the creature screeched at him, Izaya quickly trotted around the beast and nipped at its flank. When the boar turned to try and charge at Izaya, the grey wolf did the same to his shoulder.

The boar began to get overwhelmed as it realized the danger of the situation. This panic led it to try to turn and run, but it was too late. The gray wolf bit down on the creature’s flank, tugging it backward while Izaya jumped forward and snapped his jaws around the boar’s snout with a loud snarl. Both wolves hung on tight until the boar’s thrashing stopped, and its body went limp.

Izaya finally unhinged his jaw, letting the heavy boar flop to the ground. His sides heaved as he looked at the grey wolf with appreciation. “Thank you…” 

The grey wolf bowed his head in acknowledgement of his words, but his eyes displayed his true feelings of anger. “What were you thinking attacking a boar by yourself? It is good prey, but it could have killed you!” 

“I wasn’t hunting it! I heard noises, and when I came here to see I found it attacking-” He gasped, he had totally forgotten. “The human!” 

Ignoring the grey werewolf’s confusion, Izaya limped over to where the red stained snow was. He cringed at the amount of blood, he knew he needed to heal the human before they bled out and died. But as he approached, he froze in disbelief.

The injured human was a farmer, the same old farmer that had caught Mizuki in a trap and had tried to kill Izaya with a pitchfork. There was no sign of that hateful man that he had battled before. All that remained was a shivering, whimpering old man.

Izaya lowered his ears as he stared at the farmer, feeling conflicted. He thought hard about what to do, and then sighed. He stepped forward, and placed a paw on the man’s prone form.

He heard the grey wolf behind him release a disbelieving noise. “What are you doing? Why are you healing him?!” 

The black werewolf ignored the other’s exclamation as he howled, using what energy he had left to heal the wounds the best he could. He was able to close most of the wounds, but the terrible bruises and scratches remained. He knew if the grey wolf had helped, he could have healed them completely, but he doubted his companion would agree.

Once he had done all he could manage, he limped backwards and waited. After a few moments the man’s eyes slowly forced themselves open. He blinked slowly and looked around with a confused frown. When he finally realized there were two wolves watching him, he let out a horrified gasp and scrambled backwards in the red colored snow/

“Let’s go!” The grey wolf frantically barked as he turned and dashed away.

Izaya watched the grey wolf go, and looked back at the farmer. The old man was still hunched over in the snow, but he didn’t try to run or attack, he just stared back at Izaya with a strange expression on his face.

With a weak whine, Izaya turned and ran after the grey wolf. He couldn’t keep up thanks to his own wounds, but was able to follow his scent easily enough. When the grey wolf finally slowed to a stop, they were by the half-frozen river where they first met.

The grey wolf panted for air, his fur ruffled and ears twitching cautiously as he looked back the way they came. It seemed as though he was waiting for someone to chase after them, but nobody did. He sighed in relief, and turned his attention to Izaya.

He healed Izaya without prompting, and ignored Izaya’s whispered thanks once he finished. Instead, he moved to the edge of the riverbed and sat down, his tail curled close to his body.

The black werewolf tilted his head, and slowly moved to sit next to him. They stayed together in silence, watching the rushing river and the occasional fish that swam past in the icy water.

Eventually, the grey werewolf sighed and shook his head. “Why did you heal him?” He asked, his tone filled with confusion.

“He was badly injured.” Izaya flattened his ears and looked up at him. “He would have died.”

The grey wolf growled and shook his head. “And?” He lashed his tail side to side. “He wouldn’t have done the same for you, he would have let you die!”

Izaya let out a growl of his own, his fur raised. “You think I don’t know that? Of course I do!” He realized he was raising his voice, and quickly tried to calm down. Once his fur was flat again, he continued,”Of course I know he would have, I know that many humans hate us. But if I didn’t heal him, if I left him to die… Then I wouldn’t be any better than him.”

His companion’s ears lowered the slightest bit, and he quickly turned his gaze back to the river. “I see…” He let out a quiet whimper. “Forgive my outburst, I let my feelings towards humans cloud my judgement.”

The informant chuckled. “You don’t have to apologize, I knew that’s why you were angry. I almost didn’t heal him for the same reasons.”

“And yet you did…” The gray wolf hummed thoughtfully as he got to his paws. “I can see why the moon shines brightly on you.” He trotted to the shallow edge of the river and began to wade across.

Izaya quickly jumped to his feet and hurried to the river’s edge. “When can I see you again?” He asked his mentor hopefully. 

The gray wolf hesitated, and looked back at him with a guilty expression. “This may be the last time… The humans in this area are taking more of the forest. My pack will not be safe, we have to move further into the mountains. I’m sorry… But, I’m glad I was able to see you once more before we did.”

The informant’s ears lowered sadly and he let his shoulders slump. “Oh… I see.” He looked back up at his mysterious companion and bowed his head. “I wish you and your pack safety.”

After a brief silence, the gray werewolf turned around and motioned toward the forest. “You could come with us, you know. You and your pack would be welcome in ours, and we’d all be far away from the dangers that humans bring with them.”

Izaya wouldn’t lie, the offer was very tempting. He wanted more than anything for his pack to be safe, to be free, and to not have to worry about losing anyone else he cared about. But…

“I can’t, I’m sorry… The danger in the city, werewolves being taken, and it won’t go away if I run. My pack and I will be safe, but what about our missing packmates? What about the other packs? I can’t go anywhere until those bastards are taken care of.”

The grey wolf gave a nod. “I understand, and I wish you luck.”

As he turned to walk away, Izaya quickly stepped forward. “I hope we will meet again one day.”

“I am sure we will.” The grey wolf motioned upwards, to the shining light in the sky. “Don’t worry. We are the moon’s children; As long as she shines down on us, our kind will never be far apart.”

He pushed his way across the rest of the icy river and disappeared into the forest, leaving Izaya alone. He stayed at the edge of the river by himself for a few seconds before he decided that it was time to return to the old house.

When he finally found his way back, he found Hashim laying halfway out the door, his eyes half open. When he saw the informant approaching he raised his head slightly, and his tail wagged in a slow, sleepy manner.

“Hashim?” Izaya questioned as he climbed on top of the engawa. “What are you doing up so late?”

The pup opened his mouth to respond, but a yawn escaped before his words. Once the yawn was finished, he scooted closer to Izaya and looked up at him with drowsy eyes. “You were gone an’ I wanted to wait for you. I didn’t want the bad guys to get you.”

Izaya gently took the pup by his scruff, carrying him into the old house, and placing him down on the warm pile of blankets. “Well, you did a very good job, and I’m back now, so we should get some sleep.”

Hashim let out a panicked whimper. “I don’t wanna go back to sleep!” 

"Why not?”

“When I close my eyes and sleep, I have bad dreams. The bad guys come back and get me, or.. Or they hurt you and then they get me!” He whimpered and frantically shook his head. “I don’t wanna have those dreams anymore!”

Izaya sat down and gave the pup a comforting nuzzle. “It’s okay, Hashim. You don’t have to worry, I’ll stay right here and chase those bad dreams away.”

“Y-y’promise?”

“I promise.”

His gentle declaration seemed to calm the pup’s worries. He curled up in the pile of blankets, his eyes watching Izaya until they began to slide shut. After a few minutes, the drowsiness finally managed to pull Hashim into the realm of dreams.

Once the pup had fallen asleep, Izaya lowered his snout down and pressed it against the pup’s head. A gentle white glow surrounded him as he called on his dream weaver abilities. He could already sense a nightmare brewing in Hashim’s mind, and quickly replaced it with a more pleasant dream, of running through freshly fallen snow.

The pup let out a happy sigh, and curled up further with his tail wagging in his sleep. Satisfied with the reaction, Izaya circled the blanket pile a few times before he settled down as well, his tail wrapped protectively over the other werewolf.

As he thought about his night, the talk with Shizuo, the fight with the boar, his small conversation with the mysterious gray wolf, he found that his worries were less overwhelming in that moment. 

No matter how dangerous the fight got, he knew one thing for sure, he wouldn’t be fighting alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a kudos and comment! I love reading them, they really encourage me!


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